When You Are a Juror You Don’t Want a Mob Boss Greeting You By Name Outside Court
According to the NY Post "Skinny" Joey Merlino greeted one of the jurors by name outside of court after testimony in his racketeering trial. The alleged Philadelphia based mob boss said "Hi Sylvia" to the juror. The juror, according to reports told the judge about the interaction.
The Federal Judge, Richard Sullivan tore into Merlino in court after hearing about the greeting. He had this to say to him: “Mr. Merlino, you are to have no contact with jurors, even to say, ‘Good morning,’ even to say, ‘Hello.’ Do you understand?”
The juror's last name is being withheld from the media for their safety. The juror also told the judge this will not affect her ability to be fair and impartial in the case.
This is crazy town. I gotta say, I'd be out. The smart move would have been to tell the judge that YES, THIS WILL alter my ability to be fair and impartial. That puts the judge in a position to excuse you from having to go forward. At least I think it does.
You gotta get the hell outta there lady. If the guy has the stones to greet you by name where everyone can see it, just think what else they are willing to do.
Top 5 favorite mob movies:
1 - Goodfellas
2 - Godfather 1
3 - Godfather 2
4 - Bronx Tale
5 - Casino