Opinion ID: 432005
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Publicity During Trial

Text: 7 Trial had commenced on February 16, 1983. On Friday, March 4, the government presented its closing argument to the jury; defense summations were scheduled for Monday, March 7. On Sunday, March 6, the New York Daily News published a lengthy article about organized crime activity on the New Jersey waterfront, mentioning loansharking as one of the activities in which the mob engaged. The article was accompanied by a picture of Gigante, whom the article described as an alleged Genovese capo. The article cited as its source an FBI affidavit filed in federal court. 8 The prosecutor notified the trial court promptly on Monday morning about the article's appearance. In response to defense counsel's query about how it happened that the article was published shortly before the case was scheduled to go to the jury, the prosecutor responded that he had inquired of an FBI agent in Newark, who had told him that as far as they could tell there had been some kind of leak, that the reporter had gotten hold of something that he shouldn't have gotten hold of. It was in no one's interest. The defendants moved for a mistrial and for an evidentiary hearing into the possibility of prosecutorial misconduct leading to the publicity. 9 The court proceeded to question each of the regular and alternate jurors individually, with counsel present, as to their awareness of and reactions to the Daily News article. Four jurors said they had seen the article, eight others said they had heard the article mentioned in the jury room, and two jurors said they were unaware of the article. Each juror assured the court that the incident would not affect his ability to render a fair and impartial decision. The court was satisfied that neither the jury as a whole nor any of its members had been prejudicially affected by the article, and it denied defendants' motions. It offered to give a cautionary instruction, which defense counsel declined. After trial the court adhered to its decision, denying a renewed motion by Gigante for a mistrial and a hearing. (Memorandum Decision dated June 10, 1983 (June 10 Decision).)