Though it has not yet appeared on the official court docket, the attorney for convicted arms dealer, Viktor Anatolievich Bout, has reportedly written to the trial judge, Shira Sheindlin, advising that the jury was prejudiced by the Nicolas Cage film Lord of War, which purports to be Bout's life story. Attorney Albert Dayan is said to have based his position on a post-verdict interview of the jury foreperson, who stated that she had seen the film.
Dayan has asked for a new trial, or, in the alternative, an evidentiary hearing, to determine whether members of the jury were prejudiced against Bout, prior to the trial, due to the motion picture.
Bout, who is scheduled to be sentenced on 8 February, 2012, faces 25 years in Federal Prison*.
The controversial role of the Confidential Informant in the case continues to trouble court observers. the CI, whose identity was revealed at trial, is said to have earned $9m over the last fifteen years, for his assistance to US law enforcement. Whether he engaged in entrapment in the Bout case remains an issue.
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*United States vs. Viktor Bout, Case No.: 08-cr-00365-SAS (SDNY).
Dayan has asked for a new trial, or, in the alternative, an evidentiary hearing, to determine whether members of the jury were prejudiced against Bout, prior to the trial, due to the motion picture.
Bout, who is scheduled to be sentenced on 8 February, 2012, faces 25 years in Federal Prison*.
The controversial role of the Confidential Informant in the case continues to trouble court observers. the CI, whose identity was revealed at trial, is said to have earned $9m over the last fifteen years, for his assistance to US law enforcement. Whether he engaged in entrapment in the Bout case remains an issue.
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*United States vs. Viktor Bout, Case No.: 08-cr-00365-SAS (SDNY).
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