Former Chris Christie aides found guilty in Bridgegate scandal
A member of the jury that convicted two top former gubernatorial aides in the political scheme to create traffic woes said the biggest obstacle to reaching a verdict was the impact a guilty vote would have on the defendants" lives,according to a report by NorthJersey.com.
That juror, who asked to be identified only as "Juror No. 10," was a Morris County man who said the initial split was eight in favor of guilty, with four against that verdict, according to the report.
He declined to give any details about the "conflict issue," a according to the report, but said it had to do with the impact a guilty verdict would have on the lives of the two defendants, former Port Authority appointee Bill Baroni and former Chris Christie aide Bridget Anne Kelly.
Kelly is the single mother of four children. Experts say that while the charges could abring up to 20 years in prison, a likely sentence would be about far less, possibly three years.
Another juror, Virginia Huffman of Chatham, told NJ Advance Media late Friday that she felt Gov. Chris Christie himself should have been on trial as well, since the scheme to create an epic traffic jam timed for the first day of school was done for his political benefit.
She called Kelly and Baroni "sacrificial lambs."
Christie issued a statement after Friday"s verdict, reiterating his claim that he didn"t plan or know about the plot to create traffic woes as a means of political retribution for a local mayor"s reluctance to endorse him.
Both defendants indicated they plan to appeal the verdict. Sentencing is scheduled for February.
Kathleen O"Brien may be reached at kobrien@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @OBrienLedger. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Source: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/2nd_bridgegate_juror_details_jurys_anguish_report.html
