A jury panel has been sworn in at the U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. It happened Thursday evening. 12 people will serve on the jury along with four alternates in the federal perjury case against former Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. She faces jail time for two counts of perjury.
Prosecutors say she lied about experiencing financial hardship during the a COVID-19 pandemic in order to withdraw funds early from her city retirement account. The defense plans to argue that Mosby’s private travel and consulting business, Mahogany Elite, suffered losses and was unable to operate because of the pandemic. She is expected to testify in her own defense.
The trial is taking place in Prince George’s County, after Mosby’s public defenders successfully argued that an impartial jury could not be seated in Baltimore, due to negative media attention. Even so, those on the jury pool said that they recognized her name.
One potential juror who was dismissed, said that he works at the Jessup Correctional Institution. He told the judge he had an unfavorable view of Mosby, based on discussions with co-workers. “I know she was the top prosecutor when crime surged,” said the man reluctantly. “[And now] it's another person from Baltimore in trouble.”
Another factor that played out in seating the jury is the workforce. Many on the jury pool live in suburbs surrounding Washington D.C., which has plenty of government workers. Throughout the day, some of the potential jurors indicated that they would give more weight to the testimony of government employees because of family members who work in federal law enforcement agencies.
For example, a different potential juror — who was ultimately struck — told the judge he would have trouble weighing all testimony from witnesses equally. “I would probably give more weight to the investigators,” he said. ”I probably shouldn’t, but I would.”
The prosecution will present opening statements on Nov. 6. The defense will follow. Witness testimony could begin after a lunch recess, said the judge.
