Grand Jury Investigating Juror-Tampering Charges
A federal grand jury in Los Angeles is investigating whether there was jury tampering in the trial of a Chatsworth businessman who was convicted in May of violating federal election laws, according to a memorandum filed by the the U.S. attorney’s office Thursday.
The memorandum, which contained no details about the probe, recommended that Michael R. Goland be sentenced to one year in prison and fined $360,000.
Goland, a major contributor to political campaigns, was convicted of making an illegal donation designed to help the reelection bid of Sen. Alan Cranston (D-Calif.). He was found guilty of illegally giving $120,000 to one candidate in an effort to siphon votes from another candidate, thereby helping Cranston.
On May 8, it was announced that juror Barry Kuhnke of Huntington Beach was under investigation. Kuhnke was alleged to have handed Goland a note outside the courtroom offering to fix the case, according to a court transcript.
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