Son of NY socialite Astor seeks new trial after juror recants

[hrmjustin]

By Francesca Trianni | Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The octogenarian son of the late New York philanthropist and socialite Brooke Astor made a last-minute attempt on Friday to overturn his conviction for siphoning millions of dollars from his mother's fortune, according to court documents.

Days before Anthony Marshall, 89, was expected to turn himself in on Monday to start serving a one- to three-year prison sentence for grand larceny and other charges, a juror recanted in a case that shocked and captivated New York society.

Juror number eight, Judi DeMarco, in an affidavit said she had been coerced to cast a guilty vote in Marshall's 2009 trial. Citing the sworn document, Marshall's defense team on Friday asked a judge in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan to stay the sentence while deciding whether to vacate the conviction.

DeMarco, a New York lawyer, said she did not believe Marshall and his co-defendant, attorney Francis Morrissey, 72, were guilty of the charges but succumbed to fatigue and other feelings when she agreed to go along with the rest of the jury to vote guilty.

Read more at http://news.yahoo.com/son-ny-socialite-astor-seeks-trial-juror-recants-223648308.html

[Jackpine Radical]

1. I wonder if the NSA would be interested

in examining Marshall's & DeMarco's phone log & bank accounts. And those of Marshall's lawyers, of course.