Woman Convicted of Jury Tampering

Earlier this week, Isobel Oxx of Westlake, an avowed follower of the “freemen” militia movement, lost her lakeside house when she was forcibly evicted.

Now she could lose her freedom.

On Wednesday, Oxx was convicted of jury tampering in federal court. She could be incarcerated for as long as six months. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9.

Oxx, who represented herself, waived her right to a jury trial. U.S. District Judge William D. Keller convicted her of one count of influencing a juror.

The charge stemmed from an incident that occurred Aug. 28, the first day of opening arguments in a fraud case against M. Elizabeth Broderick, who was accused of passing bogus checks to Southland residents. Oxx attempted to use the checks to pay off house and car loans and make other large purchases.

Oxx, who had publicly lauded Broderick before her arrest, went to court that day in a show of further support. During a break in the proceedings, Oxx followed some of the jurors into the elevator and tried to hand them a flier, said Elaine Lu, the assistant U.S. attorney who was prosecuting the case.

The leaflet advocated jury nullification, a term used to describe jurors who decide a case based on their own values, sometimes in spite of overwhelming evidence, Lu said.

The Broderick jurors returned the fliers to Oxx without looking at them, and went on to convict Broderick, who is now serving a 16-year sentence.

The conviction adds to a week of woes for Oxx. The locks on her Leeward Circle house were changed Monday and the doors and windows boarded when she was out of the neighborhood.

The eviction ended months of legal haggling between Oxx and her lender, Texas Commerce Bank, which foreclosed on the house in September but was unable to persuade Oxx to leave.

Until December, Oxx had operated a home for the terminally ill there.