We’d be interested in hearing from readers with prosecutorial backgrounds on this one.
As you may have been following at TPMmuckraker, there was a hung jury this week in the trial of former Pittsburgh-area coroner Cyril Wecht. Because of a number of peculiarities, the case has been one of those DOJ prosecutions suspected of being politically motivated.
The government immediately declared it would retry the case, but in the meantime the FBI has been contacting jurors asking about their deliberations.
Now it’s not unusual for prosecutors to try to meet with jurors after the fact. Indeed, sometimes those meetings help determine whether a retrial is viable. But dispatching the FBI to arrange these meetings?
I’ve never heard of such a thing, and former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh, who is representing Wecht, tells TPMmuckraker that it’s “unprecedented” in his experience.
So what about it? Is this standard operating procedure in U.S. Attorney offices?
Late Update: Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) issued the following statement this afternoon:
I am deeply troubled by reports of FBI agents contacting former jurors who failed to convict Dr. Wecht. Whether reckless or intended, it is simply common sense that such contacts can have a chilling effect on future juries in this and other cases. When added to the troubling conduct of this prosecution, there is the appearance of a win at all costs mentality. The committee continues to investigate this matter.
