Prosecutors in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking case asked a judge Wednesday to conduct an inquiry in light of revelations that a juror used his sexual abuse past to sway deliberations.
In a new letter, the four federal prosecutors who tried the case requested that Judge Alison Nathan take the extra measures in light of the interviews.
“The Government believes the court should conduct an inquiry. The Government proposes that the Court schedule a hearing in approximately one month, along with an appropriate schedule for pre-hearing briefing regarding the applicable law and the scope of the hearing,” they wrote.
They added that if Nathan does decide to hold a hearing, she should inform the juror and ask him if he would like legal counsel appointed for it.
The juror, identified by his first and middle names, Scotty David, told British newspaper the Independent that he raised his past sexual abuse during jury delibarations as the panel discussed whether to convict Maxwell.
“I know what happened when I was sexually abused. I remember the color of the carpet, the walls. Some of it can be replayed like a video,” he told the newspaper. “But I can’t remember all the details, there are some things that run together.”
He added in an interview with Reuters that him sharing his experience helped convince other panelists to convict Maxwell.
“When I shared that, they were able to sort of come around on, they were able to come around on the memory aspect of the sexual abuse,” he told the news agency.
During jury selection, some 230 prospective jurors were given questionnaires, which included a question on whether they or anyone in their families had been the victim of sexual abuse.
David told Reuters that he “flew through” the questionnaire and cannot remember being asked about personal experiences with sexual abuse. He could only say he would have answered honestly.
Maxwell was convicted on five of six counts against her after a month-long trial in Manhattan federal court. She faces up to 65 years in prison at her sentencing.
Adittional reporting by Lee Brown