MIAMI - Two women were charged Wednesday with taking bribes as jurors in 1996 to acquit two reputed drug kingpins.
One woman's ex-boyfriend, the other's husband and a friend also were charged.
The jury foreman made a pitch to one juror, and a childhood friend of reputed traffickers Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon made the connection to the other, prosecutors charged.
"Their willingness to sell their votes and honor strikes at the very heart of our justice system," U.S. Attorney Marcos Jimenez said.
Jurors Gloria Alba, 31, and Maria Penalver, 30, were charged along with Alba's husband Isael, 41, family friend Raul Sarraff, 48, and Penalver's former boyfriend Gerald Rodriguez.
The Albas and Penalver pleaded innocent. The other two defendants are expected in court next week.
Jimenez attributed the women's alleged acceptance of the bribes to greed. But Ruben Oliva, attorney for the Albas, said Sarraff showed up "to make this offer she couldn't refuse" and left her in fear for her life.
Three witnesses against Magluta and Falcon already had been killed. To Alba, the deal was "either you play ball with us or you suffer the consequences," Oliva said. "Keep in mind, we're dealing with a 20-something with a 7-month-old child."
The acquittal of Magluta and Falcon led to the resignation of Miami's top federal prosecutor and a rejuvenated investigation that has produced 41 convictions so far.
Magluta is appealing a life sentence and Falcon reached a plea bargain for 20 years on new charges filed after their acquittals.
The new criminal charges do not allege how much money the two women took, but Oliva said the Albas admit getting less than $300,000 of a promised $1-million. Prosecutors said Penalver took about $20,000. Foreman Miguel Moya, who is serving a 17-year sentence, was convicted of taking more than $500,000.
Gloria Alba told Sarraff, whom she had known since she was 14, that she had been summoned for jury duty in Magluta's and Falcon's drug trial. Sarraff told his real estate partner, Jose Fernandez, who ran errands for Magluta and Falcon, prosecutors said.
Fernandez got Magluta's permission during a jail visit to offer a bribe to Alba, and Sarraff made the offer, according to the charges. Fernandez is serving a 12-year sentence for charges relating to the bribes and money laundering.
In Penalver's case, Moya got her agreement to vote for acquittal the month before jurors delivered their verdict, prosecutors said.
The Albas and Sarraff could face 10-year prison sentences if convicted of obstruction of justice. Penalver faces a possible five years on a conspiracy charge, and Rodriguez five years for allegedly lying to the FBI.
Magluta and Falcon are said to have made a $2-billion profit on 78 tons of smuggled cocaine while turning Miami into the drug capital of the world in the 1980s.
Their acquittal wiped out drug charges filed in 1991, but prosecutors later obtained convictions covering the hits on witnesses, jury bribes and laundering of drug profits frozen by court order.
