JACKSON - A former legal secretary was fined $5,000 and tossed as a prospective juror in the bribery and fraud case of a Mississippi Supreme Court justice after talking about the case with her former employer.
U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate on Monday found Patricia Sullivan of McComb guilty of constructive contempt of court and told her she had "cast a temporary shadow of suspicion over the jury's integrity."
Sullivan and other prospective jurors had been told not to discuss the case with anyone.
Wingate also said Sullivan's actions had delayed jury selection and led to thousands of dollars in court costs.
Sullivan was a prospective juror in the trial of Justice Oliver Diaz Jr., Gulf Coast attorney Paul Minor and two former judges.
Minor is accused of buying favorable decisions from Diaz, former Circuit Judge John Whitfield and former Chancellor Wes Teel.
All have pleaded innocent to charges of bribery and fraud, and Minor has pleaded innocent after being charged with racketeering.
McComb attorney Edwin Bean informed the court late last week of his telephone conversation with Sullivan. Bean testified Monday that Sullivan had told him that most of the jurors had already decided the defendants were guilty.
Sullivan admitted in court to making the comment, but said it was a joke.
"It was a smart aleck remark I made to get the conversation over with," Sullivan said.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys closely questioned Sullivan about conversations prospective jurors had about the case.
"There was no conversation that I know of besides griping about the jury selection," she said.
Sullivan, who worked for Bean as a legal secretary for about three years, said she had called him to ask about the difference between jury selection in circuit and federal trials. She said Bean had told her that someone had called him to inquire about her.
Bean also asked her opinion about the counsel, prompting her to end the conversation, Sullivan said.
Sullivan said Bean called her back a few minutes later, expressing concern about becoming involved in a jury tampering incident.
"I said, 'Don't worry. Everybody thinks they're guilty…If they want a fair trial they'll choose me,"' Sullivan said. "No one can tamper with me. No one can make up my mind but me."
Bean said he was compelled to consult with other attorneys, including U.S. Attorney Dunn Lampton, who advised him to contact the court.
Defense attorneys have claimed the trial is based on partisan politics and a personal vendetta by Lampton, who guided a grand jury to indict Minor and the other defendants.
Prosecutors have maintained throughout the case that the charges are not political. They say Minor and the other defendants were involved in a lucrative scheme that netted Minor hundreds of thousands of dollars in attorney's fees from cases before three different judges.
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