Fate of remaining “Liberty City Seven’’ defendants now up to appeals court

Source: Miami Herald

Posted on Tuesday, 08.23.11
Fate of remaining “Liberty City Seven’’ defendants now up to appeals court

The fate of five convicted “Liberty City Seven’’ terrorism defendants will now be decided by a federal appeals court.

BY JAY WEAVER
jweaver@MiamiHerald.com

The judge’s removal of a woman from the federal jury in one of the nation’s most controversial terrorism trials dominated oral arguments Tuesday, in the appeal of five Miami men convicted of conspiring to aid al-Qaida.

The unidentified woman, known only as Juror No. 4, was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard after deliberating for nearly three days in late April 2009 because the other 11 jurors said she refused to discuss the fate of the remaining defendants in a group originally dubbed the “Liberty City Seven.’’

The ruling led to the juror’s replacement by an alternate juror, a man, and the eventual conviction of the five defendants on material-support conspiracy charges. One other defendant was acquitted.

The removal of Juror No. 4 from the 12-person panel carried great consequences. Had she been allowed to hold out as the minority juror, prompting a third mistrial in the controversial case, the five defendants could have walked out of the courtroom free, because the U.S. attorney’s office had already said it wouldn’t try them a fourth time.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/23/2371841/fate-of-remaining-liberty-city.html

and of course, she was replaced with someone who didn't really about pesky laws.

That's 'justice' in America today.

The so-called 'Liberty City 7', you remember, never actually did anything and were in fact being handled by an undercover agent who acted as impetus and enabler.

A Most Pathetic Award goes out to everyone except the paid informant, who should be the one in jail.