Alleged plot to bribe a juror with $100,000 upends former heavyweight boxer's NYC drug trial

"Three men were arrested Monday for allegedly offering to pay $100,000 in cash to a juror at the Brooklyn drug trial of former heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic, leading a federal judge to abruptly dismiss the jury as it was about to hear opening statements. An anonymous jury will be chosen when Gogic's trial resumes after a 30-day break, said John Marzulli, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. Judge Joan Azrack scheduled a Dec. 17 conference."

"Three individuals were arrested after they approached a juror and offered to pay $100,000 to return a not guilty verdict, according to a transcript of the proceeding, Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Navarro told Azrack. The individuals may have obtained a copy of the jury list or jury information from "individuals connected to this trial," the prosecutor said. Defense attorney Joseph Corozzo informed the judge that he told Gogic the trial would not proceed on Monday."

"Law enforcement officials have described Gogic as a "major drug trafficker" and said he operated on a "mammoth scale." A former heavyweight boxer, Gogic fought professionally in Germany from 2001 to 2012, compiling a 21-4-2 record, according to boxing website Sport & Note. He was listed as 6-foot-5 and weighed in at anywhere from 227 pounds to 250 pounds. In a criminal complaint in Brooklyn federal court, an FBI agent wrote that the bribery scheme unfolded between Thursday and Sunday."

Three men were arrested for allegedly offering $100,000 in cash to a juror at Goran Gogic's Brooklyn drug trial, prompting a federal judge to dismiss the jury just before opening statements. Prosecutors said an anonymous jury will be chosen when the trial resumes after a 30-day break, with a Dec. 17 conference scheduled. Gogic, of Montenegro and a former professional heavyweight boxer, pleaded not guilty to charges alleging a conspiracy to smuggle 20 tons of cocaine from Colombia to Europe through U.S. ports via cargo ships. Authorities said suspects may have obtained jury information from individuals connected to the trial, and an FBI complaint detailed multiple contacts with a juror.

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