GUILTY NY - Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein confidante, arrested on Sex Abuse charges, Jul 2020 #4

[Cool Cats]

Ghislaine Maxwell's guilty verdict will 'very likely' get tossed and her case retried after juror comments on sexual abuse, experts say

This is the absolute last thing you want when you get a guilty verdict," Neama Rahmani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, told Insider. "You don't want the jurors talking to the media. You don't want them saying something that will result in a mistrial."

"It's an absolute disaster," he said. "This entire conviction may get tossed, and we may have to retry the case."

Rahmani explained that the jurors' comments pose two potential issues: perjury, or lying under oath, and prejudice, or a preconceived opinion that may have improperly swayed the jury.

'If the defense knew about it, they would've dismissed him'
Court documents showed jurors were asked during the selection process if they or anyone in their families were victims of sexual abuse. David told Reuters he "flew through" the questionnaire and did not remember if he was asked about personal experiences of sexual abuse, but said he would have answered honestly.

If he had answered affirmatively, however, it's doubtful the defense would've permitted him as a juror.

"If the defense knew about it, they would've dismissed him," Matthew Barhoma, a criminal-appeals lawyer in Los Angeles, told Insider. He agreed it appeared "very likely" the case would be retried.

 

[investikater]

Ghislaine Maxwell's guilty verdict will 'very likely' get tossed and her case retried after juror comments on sexual abuse, experts say

This is the absolute last thing you want when you get a guilty verdict," Neama Rahmani, the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers and a former federal prosecutor, told Insider. "You don't want the jurors talking to the media. You don't want them saying something that will result in a mistrial."

"It's an absolute disaster," he said. "This entire conviction may get tossed, and we may have to retry the case."

Rahmani explained that the jurors' comments pose two potential issues: perjury, or lying under oath, and prejudice, or a preconceived opinion that may have improperly swayed the jury.

'If the defense knew about it, they would've dismissed him'
Court documents showed jurors were asked during the selection process if they or anyone in their families were victims of sexual abuse. David told Reuters he "flew through" the questionnaire and did not remember if he was asked about personal experiences of sexual abuse, but said he would have answered honestly.

If he had answered affirmatively, however, it's doubtful the defense would've permitted him as a juror.

"If the defense knew about it, they would've dismissed him," Matthew Barhoma, a criminal-appeals lawyer in Los Angeles, told Insider. He agreed it appeared "very likely" the case would be retried.

i knew it the second i saw the news about a talking juror

i know people don't like it when i say i told you so but... i kind of did

 

[investikater]

Ghislaine Maxwell's guilty verdict will 'very likely' get tossed and her case retried after juror comments on sexual abuse, experts say

Prosecutors requested an inquiry because they have an ethical duty to flag to the court concerns of possible prejudice, Rahmani said. However, they also took the unusual step of requesting David be appointed an attorney.

"Jurors say and do all sorts of things that are inappropriate or improper, but they don't get appointed an attorney," he said.

The fact that prosecutors think David needs an attorney suggests they believe he may have acted criminally by committing perjury.

Barhoma agreed that David's comments about persuading others are especially damning.

"If I was the defense team, I would be taking these quotes right out of Reuters," he said.

"It's saved by the media for Maxwell," he added. "Had he not went off blabbing his mouth to reporters, we may never have uncovered it."

 

[investikater]

What an epic S@*( show David's hypothetical trial will be.
IN MY OPINION

 

[investikater]

It's disgusting that they are being offered an opportunity to denigrate the victims and it makes her family look petty. It's also insulting to the jury system on both sides of the pond.

moo

in the end, they weren't wrong though were they!

 

[investikater]

I don't see her as giving him a "pass" but rather, pointing out the difference between the act (or acts) and the planning, and scheduling, and all of the work (grooming) that went into facilitating the scenarios where the acts took place. Epstein didn't go out of his way to procure underage girls to take advantage of, that was Maxwell's doing. I can understand what she means by saying Maxwell is worse. I think they're equally vile and disgusting, but I do understand what she means.

jmo

Do you seriously think that either;
GM would have acquired them if JE hadn't asked and payed her to?
or that JE wouldn't have assaulted them if GM hadn't acquired them for him!?

JE procured them via her because it was safer and much easier.

 

[investikater]

Mother of Ghislaine Maxwell victim asks the questions that have haunted her | Daily Mail Online

Maxwell frequently summoned her for sex with Epstein, she said, and claimed that she had been recruited for the abuse by her then friend Virginia Roberts (now Virginia Roberts Giuffre) — the woman who has accused Prince Andrew of rape, which he strenuously denies.

She shows me Maxwell's number, logged under 'Guisella' and Epstein's under 'Jef [sic] Epstein' on her phone. She also has Virginia Roberts's old number in her contacts list.

 

[investikater]

IMO this:

Mother of Ghislaine Maxwell victim asks the questions that have haunted her | Daily Mail Online

She shows me 'happy' pictures of Carolyn and her young family — her three younger children are from her marriage of 11 years — before the FBI came to see her in June last year, urging her to be a witness against Maxwell.
The nightmare memories returned. 'She said, 'I can't take it. I can't do it',' says Dorothy. 'She was doing fabulous with her kids, with her husband. And then all of a sudden, it just cracked up.

is awful! Maybe this isn't worth it?

 

[investikater]

I agree with all his comments 100%.

so do i except for his repeated use of the word children and child.
we are talking about adolescents or minors, not children.
and no I am not saying that ephebophilia is any less bad than paedophilia!
it's just inaccurate! IN MY OPINION

 

[investikater]

@KlasfeldReports
·
3m

In a separate letter, Ghislaine Maxwell's legal team opposes the request for a court inquiry on how the juror's press interviews square with his voir dire. They argue the judge "can and should order a new trial without any evidentiary hearing."

Well that IMO is very interesting! Would a motion like that be routine or unusual?

 

[investikater]

Personally, I hope that it settles out, and GM gets sentenced for a long term.

And perhaps, jurors should sign a "non disclosure" agreement for keeping everything confidential. It should maintain confidentiality anyway. The entire process is part of the system. Let juries decide how and what they want behind closed doors. And keep it that way.

wouldn't that compromise the ability of the citizenry to keep an eye on the justice system?

 

[Kiranerys]

It's statistically impossible not to know somebody who has been sexually harassed/abused/assaulted. This goes far beyond a juror and whether he truthfully answered this particular question. Societal attitudes silence so many that much of these incidents are normalized or, when it's exposed and clearly wrong, blamed on the victim. [edit: clarity]

This is true. I can name 3 people I know straight away that are victims of childhood sexual abuse. 2 of them are twin sisters who never knew until adulthood that their twin suffered the same abuse, as adults they found out that their grandfather had led them both to think that by keeping quiet they were protecting their sister from the same fate

 

[Gardenista]

I'll just say it.
It looks staged.
I don't know that I believe it is, but it sure looks like it from where I sit.

jmo

Yes, his answers to the judge seemed way too perfect. And he just happened to delete all of his social media the week before?

 

[Dotta]

Retrial would be the second disaster after the death of JE in custody.

Re a juror
Some people forget the rule that silence is golden.
What was he thinking while giving interviews left and right before even the sentence is passed???

In my opinion jurors should be bound by some "confidentiality clause" barring them giving details of their discussions.
The verdict should be enough.

Even I as a teacher must sign such a document in my work place.

Well, I cant imagine the poor victims going through this hell of a trial again.

 

[BUF]

Yes, his answers to the judge seemed way too perfect. And he just happened to delete all of his social media the week before?

Did he really delete all social media…hadn’t heard that.

 

[Gardenista]

Did he really delete all social media…hadn’t heard that.

Yes, the transcript of his interview with the judge was posted upthread

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21174133/voir-dire-maxwell-juror-50.pdf

 

[Gardenista]

Thinking about her appeal if they do not get a mistrial. If the juror answered yes to the question and GM's attorneys didn't question or strike him, I wonder if that would be grounds for ineffective assistance of counsel.

 

[Dotta]

I have this strange feeling that everything connected to JE is doomed.
But then my imagination is limitless

 

[UK Girl]

I have a question. IF he did put no to the sex abuse question could he be prosecuted for it? I mean potentially if he did and they have to have a retrial because of it thats a heck of a lot of money wasted. I guess potentially theres the second juror also in the mix

 

[tayaway]

Did he really delete all social media…hadn’t heard that.

Yes, the transcript of his interview with the judge was posted upthread

https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/21174133/voir-dire-maxwell-juror-50.pdf

Here's the quoted bit from the court transcript that @Gardenista linked to, where juror #50 said he got rid of his SM, (in case there are members who won't be clicking due to time restraints etc...)

THE COURT: Do you use social media?

JUROR: I do, but I actually just deleted them because I just got out of a relationship and I didn't want to see anything regarding them. So I am fully off of it right now.

THE COURT: What did you use, Facebook, Twitter?

JUROR: I used Facebook and Instagram.