William Cellini prosecution urges judge not to toss verdict, Cellini juror lied about felony convictions, Attempted extortion conviction

William Cellini prosecution urges judge not to toss verdict, Cellini juror lied about felony convictions, Attempted extortion conviction

From the Chicago Tribune November 19, 2011.

“Cellini prosecution urges judge not to toss verdict
Government says juror’s failure to divulge her criminal record isn’t enough to overturn power broker’s conviction”

“Federal prosecutors objected to a new trial for Springfield power broker William Cellini, saying his lawyers failed to show that a juror deliberately lied about her criminal background or that knowing about her felony convictions would have led to her removal from the panel.

The filing came after the defense moved for a new trial after the Tribune revealed that a juror apparently did not disclose her own convictions for crack cocaine possession and aggravated DUI on questionnaires or under questioning by the judge during jury selection.

The jury convicted Cellini of an attempted extortion.

Prosecutors noted that during jury selection several other jurors had been questioned about their criminal histories — including one with a drug arrest — but the defense failed to raise concerns at the time.

“Defendant’s newly professed concern that (the juror’s) convictions would make her unfairly biased is belied by his utter failure to advance any such argument during” jury selection, prosecutors said in their filing late Thursday.

Lawyers for Cellini argued that the juror, a Chicago woman, violated her probation on the drug case and failed to pay a $1,400 fine levied for her 2008 DUI conviction, making her ineligible to serve on the jury because she was a convicted felon whose civil rights had not been restored.

But prosecutors strongly disagreed. Citing Illinois law as well as court precedent, prosecutors said it didn’t matter whether the juror had paid her fees and fines.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-cellini-juror-1119-20111119,0,1888916.story