Posted on 01/06/2005 1:56:50 PM PST by Theodore R.
Juror busted for seeking gift card from Wal-Mart
BY ADRIANA ARCE Times staff writer
A recent juror in the 111th District Court was arrested Tuesday on charges of soliciting bribes from Wal-Mart.
Following an investigation conducted by the Webb County District Attorney's Office, Jesus Gongora Castillo, 49, was taken into custody on an arrest warrant.
"This case represents our continued effort to fight corruption in Webb and Zapata County," said District Attorney Joe Rubio at a news conference held Wednesday.
Gongora Castillo was released on a $20,000 bond set by Justice of the Peace Hector Liendo.
Gongora Castillo was a juror in the personal-injury trial of Ludivina G. Luna vs. Wal-Mart in November.
Investigators say that after the jury ruled against Luna, Gongora Castillo sent a letter to General Manager Gerald C. Garza, who was a witness in the case.
In the letter dated Nov. 17, Gongora Castillo requested a store gift card in the amount of $2,500 since the jury ruled in Wal-Mart's favor, according to the criminal complaint.
The general manager forwarded the letter to the District Attorney's Office, and an investigation was launched.
Investigator Federico Gutierrez reported initiating contact with the defendant Dec. 12. He informed Gongora Castillo he would give him a gift card later in the week, the complaint stated.
The defendant later paged the investigator and the two arranged to meet at a local restaurant, the investigator reported.
Dec. 16 Gutierrez presented the defendant with a reloadable shopping card valued at $5 and offered him a television set and DVD player that were in his vehicle. As the men continued to walk outside the restaurant Gongora Castillo allegedly spoke about the previous trial and his identity was verified.
Wednesday, Rubio commended Gutierrez and Assistant District Attorney Roberto Balli for their work on the case.
Balli said this is the first instance in recent history where a juror is charged with bribery.
"An arrest in a case like this is very important," said Balli. "We need to assure that our jury system is safe and that people can rely on it."
This is the third case investigated by the District Attorney's Office involving public corruption.
If convicted, Gongora Castillo faces a sentence of two to 20 years in prison, plus a $10,000 fine.
His indictment is expected within the next 30 days.
(Times staff writer Adriana Arce can be reached at 728-2583 or by e-mail aarce@lmtonline.com)
01/06/05
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Just keep the democrats like Castillo off and you are fine.
It was after the jury ruled. So what's the big deal? If K-mart is dumb enough to pay a bribe to a juror after the ruling, then more power to the juror.
Aren't you supposed to ask for a bribe BEFORE you render a verdict?
I don't see how this is a bribe. There is a timing issue.
It looks like a bribe, but cz looks like a diamond.
It is the level of stupidity of the juror that is of concern, do we want idiots deciding the fate of important cases (oops I guess we have judges doing that all the time).
Still, maybe I'm missing something. If all this happened after the case was over, it seems like a crafty lawyer ought to be able to convince a jury that this technically wasn't bribery. By then, the former juror has no bargaining power, nothing to offer the Wal-Mart exec.
Everybody has an angle. I guess he thought he didn't get enough for serving on a jury.
Ah, good. It looks like we're on the same page so, I guess it wasn't just me.
I don't like it but people are free to ask for stuff (or so I thought). How is this a bribe?
It's stupid, but hardly a bribe. Something else is going on here that isn't in the story.
He's getting a more severe punishment than clinton.
Just imagine this was clinton, "But it's just about shopping...!!!"
He was paid $6 a day for his jury service! I guess this is not a bribe then but stupidity.
Given all the names in the story, I wonder if Texican law is somehow different than what we're used to. ;o)
Wal-mart
K-mart, wal-mart, s-mart, what's the diff?
Yeah, and what's with that "111th District Court" thing? I thought it was a typo at first.
Too many courts means too many lawyers.
I disagree strongly. Obviously the after-the-fact nature clears Wal-Mart of any suspicion, but not so the juror. Asking for money raises the possibility that he voted in a certain way hoping to cash in.
There are over 400 district courts in TX -- maybe 415 or so.
The courts are numbered in TX by the order of creation.
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