2nd Feeding Our Future juror dismissed after 'unprecedented' bribe attempt

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A second juror in two days has been dismissed in the Feeding our Future trial after a bag of cash was dropped off to a juror in an attempted bribe for a not-guilty verdict.

This development comes as jury deliberations are underway in the massive fraud case.

The bag of cash, totaling $120,000 in $100s, $50s, and $20s, is now evidence in a new federal investigation of attempted bribery and jury tampering.

The targeted juror, a 23-year-old, was dismissed on Monday and replaced by an alternate. The remaining jurors were immediately sequestered to prevent further attempts or any prejudicial influence.

However, on Tuesday morning, a 25-year-old juror was also dismissed simply because they learned of the bribe from a family member.

The seven defendants, collectively accused of stealing nearly $50 million in federal money, were taken into custody and booked since only they and their lawyers would know the jurors' identities. At the end of a trial that began in late April, involving 24 days of testimony and evidence, this is a twist that is almost unheard of.

Former Hennepin County Chief Judge Kevin Burke told FOX 9: "I’ve never heard of an instance of an attempted bribe of a juror in Minnesota."

Judge Jeremy Fogel, former director of the Federal Judicial Center in Washington D.C., with 30 years on the bench, stated: "This situation never arose in any of my jury trials, nor did I hear of anything similar from my colleagues."

Former U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Tom Heffelfinger added, "This is a very unusual and dangerous situation and will be fully investigated by federal authorities. I would expect federal charges in the future."

Jury deliberations continued on Tuesday but no verdict has yet come down.