Prospective LA Juror Charged With Perjury in Unusual Case
When he was called to jury duty last year, 52-year-old Manuel Soto allegedly lied—twice—about having previously been convicted of a felony.
Now, instead of hearing someone else’s Los Angeles Superior Court case, he is going to be defending his own. Held in lieu of $100,000 bail, he is charged with two felony counts of perjury for allegedly falsely stating, both on a juror declaration form and in court during questioning by a judge, that he had no felony record, reports the Los Angeles Times.
In fact, Soto had been convicted of felony arson in 1981, the newspaper writes.
“The district attorney’s Justice System Integrity Division—which handles cases involving police officers, attorneys and jurors—has filed charges in just one other case involving a juror since 2000,” the article states.
Soto’s alleged felony conviction reportedly was revealed to authorities by another prospective juror.
