Hearing OK'd re Convicted Tax Lawyer's Claim That Juror's Hidden Legal Past Prevented Fair Trial
A federal judge in Manhattan today agreed to hold a hearing on a convicted tax lawyer’s claim that he was denied a fair trial because one of the jurors failed to disclose crucial information about her background.
Catherine Conrad allegedly failed to tell the court that she was a suspended attorney with an arrest record, according to Bloomberg.
If so, contends former Jenkens & Gilchrist tax partner Paul Daugerdas in court filings, he would never have agreed to have her on the jury.
Daugerdas, who once headed the Chicago office of the now-defunct law firm, and another former partner, Donna Guerin, were convicted in May, along with two other defendants, on multiple charges related to their promotion of illegal tax shelters.
It appears that they have not yet been sentenced in the case.
If a new trial is granted by U.S. District Judge William Pauley, all four of the convicted defendants would get one, Bloomberg reports. The judge hasn’t yet set a date for the hearing on the issue.
