Out of a mob movie: Juror in COVID fraud case dismissed after getting bag of $120,000 cash

A juror in a $250 million charitable fraud case in Minnesota was dismissed Monday after someone went to her home and offered a bag of $120,000 in cash in exchange for an acquittal, according to multiple reports.

The woman, identified as Juror 52, was part of a federal trial involving mishandled money that was supposed to feed hungry children during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Justice Department release.

The jury-tampering allegations were discussed Monday morning in the courtroom away from jurors, the Sahan Journal reported. U.S. Assistant Attorney Joe Thompson told U.S. District Judge Nancy Brasel that a woman went to the juror's home and left her a bag stuffed with rolls of dollar bills on Sunday night, the outlet said.

"This is outrageous behavior. This is the stuff that happens in mob movies,” Thompson said, according to the Star Tribune. “It really strikes at the heart of this case.”

Did the juror take the bag of cash?

The 23-year-old juror was not home when the woman came by, but her father-in-law was, according to Thompson, the Sahan Journal reported. The woman told the juror's father-in-law that the money was "for Juror 52."

"Tell her there will be another bag for her if she votes to acquit," according to Thompson, the outlet said.

Once the juror returned home and learned what happened, she called the police, Thompson said, according to the Minnesota-based outlet. The bag of money is now in the FBI's custody, the assistant attorney added.

Attorneys for the defendants who are being tried on 41 total criminal charges, told the judge that "they were troubled by the allegations," the Sahan Journal reported. The trial that the juror was a part of involved seven defendants accused of fraudulently using a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future to steal $41 million.

The case is a part of the larger 70-defendant case. Eighteen defendants have pleaded guilty so far, according to the Justice Department.

The juror who was offered the cash was not in court Monday morning. A spokesperson for the District of Minnesota confirmed in an email to USA TODAY on Monday that the juror was dismissed.

'I want to ensure a fair trial'

Brasel interviewed the other 17 jurors one by one in front of the defendants and asked them whether they had any unauthorized contact with anyone about the case in the last six weeks, the Star Tribune reported. The jurors told the judge they had not been contacted by anyone, the outlet said.

"I don't do it lightly," Brasel said, according to the Star Tribune. "But I want to ensure a fair trial."

Once deliberations begin, Brasel will sequester the jury, the Sahan Journal reported. When a jury is sequestered, all jurors are kept away from the public and press during a trial.

Brasel asked the U.S. Marshals Office to provide added security in court and collect, but not inspect, all the defendants' cell phones, according to the Sahan Journal. Prosecutors said they intended to file a search warrant for the defendants' phones, the outlet said.

Defendants detained due to juror bribery allegations

All seven defendants in the Feeding Our Future trial were detained by authorities as a result of the juror-tampering and bribery allegations, the Sahan Journal reported.

“The fact that there are only seven defendants and only seven people other than their attorneys that have the information to get to a juror and bribe the juror doesn’t relieve me with responsibility to protect the community,” Brasel said, according to the outlet.

The U.S. Marshals handcuffed the defendants in court Monday and led them away.