Government responds to Reagor’s motion to interview jurors post-verdict

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - In response to Bart Reagor’s motion for his attorneys to interview the jurors post-verdict, the government says Reagor’s allegations fail to meet the “requisite evidentiary threshold for a post-verdict interview of the jurors,” and the court should deny the motion.

Bart Reagor’s defense attorneys filed a motion on Monday to interview the federal jury which convicted him, claiming there is evidence of external influence on their decisions.

The response filed on Tuesday from the government says, “Reagor alleges that the three jury notes indicating deadlock, followed by an Allen charge, followed by a verdict of guilty on one of the three counts in the indictment ‘strongly suggest the possibility of extraneous prejudicial information brought to the jury’s attention, or an outside influence improperly brought to bear on these jurors.’”

According to the government’s response, federal courts have “generally disfavored post-verdict interviewing of jurors. This reflects long-standing American jurisprudence that protects each juror’s right to engage in uninhibited discussions to reach a verdict.”

“Here, Reagor fails to offer any testimony or affidavits supporting a claim of extraneous prejudicial information or an improper outside influence. Rather, he argues that the timing of the jury’s notes and the Allen charge suggest extraneous prejudicial information or an improper outside influence - mere supposition on his part,” the response states.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk has not made a ruling on Reagor’s motion.

The jury reached a unanimous decision of not guilty of two counts of bank fraud for Bart Reagor, but guilty of making a false statement to the International Bank of Commerce about his intention to use $1.7 million of a $10 million loan from IBC to Reagor-Dykes Auto Group.

On that charge, he faces up to 30 years in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk will make that decision during the sentencing hearing, set for Feb. 24, 2022, at 1:30 p.m.

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