Suspect Sets Up Sting, Foiling Bribery Scheme

Tiny cameras hidden in fake briefcases and document boxes captured the signal that the fix was in:

First, at the defense table, the defendant took a sip of water and put his empty glass on the table, upside down. Then, Juror No. 11 took off her green jacket and folded it neatly over her chair.

That was the sign, federal agents said, that the juror had agreed to take a bribe to fix the case.

Juror Angela Chiles, 27, and two men are accused of seeking a $175,000 bribe in exchange for a hung jury. The charges could bring 30 years in prison and $1 million in fines if they are convicted.

“This sort of thing really rips the system apart,” said U.S. Atty. Thomas E. Scott. “Trust in the system is questioned. That’s why we take this so seriously.”

Thomas Schwab, 43, who was on trial for allegedly laundering $770,000 in drug profits through his demolition business, was approached last Friday by Ray Hernandez and Ricardo Canword during a break in the trial, investigators said.

One of the men, Hernandez, told Schwab that he had a cousin on the jury, an “ace in the hole” who could deadlock the jury and deliver a mistrial, investigators said.

Schwab notified his lawyer, who alerted the court and prosecutors. Then Schwab agreed to cooperate with the federal investigation.

In a meeting with Hernandez and Canword on Sunday, Schwab agreed to pay the men $175,000, but first he wanted proof that they could deliver.

They allegedly agreed that Chiles, a bartender-waitress, would wear a green jacket to court Monday and remove it when Schwab signaled her with the glass of water.

When Chiles did her part, cameras hidden in files on the prosecution and defense tables and in fake briefcases caught her on videotape, investigators said.

Schwab paid Hernandez and Canword $5,000 Monday and $20,000 the next day at a Hooter’s restaurant, investigators said. After the second payment, agents arrested the two men. Chiles was arrested Wednesday. All three face charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and bribery.

The judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in Schwab’s money-laundering trial. He faces a retrial.