Burlington County Juror Fined $11K for Doing Research During Criminal Trial
Here's something that's frowned upon by both judges and attorneys: jurors conducting their own research during a trial.
An unnamed man from Burlington County has been held in criminal contempt and fined over $11,000 for conducting outside research while serving on a federal criminal jury and then sharing his findings with other jurors.
Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael Honig says a U.S. District Court judge imposed the sentence Tuesday in Camden federal court.
Honig's office says,
"Juror Number 7 was one of 12 jurors on a federal criminal trial held in Camden federal court before Judge Kugler. Before and during the trial, Juror Number 7 and the other jurors were instructed repeatedly, both in writing and verbally, not to conduct any research about the case, including through use of the Internet. During a recess in the trial, Juror Number 7 conducted internet research into evidence in the case."
Authorities say the juror shared his findings with his fellow jurors, which caused a mistrial.
The $11,000 fine represents the court’s costs associated with empanelling that jury.