NY juror threatens to cut off finger of another

By Grant McCool

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jury deliberations can sometimes be contentious, but in a case in New York one juror accused another of threatening to cut off his finger.

The allegation was made on the sixth day of deliberations on Thursday in the Manhattan federal court trial of a lawyer accused of involvement in the fraud of collapsed commodities broker Refco Finance.

"In a loud and belligerent manner" the juror "threatened to 'cut off your (my) finger,'" the juror wrote in a note to the jury foreman that was included in a court transcript.

"She made that statement twice. In the same tirade she stated, 'I will have my husband take care of you,'" said the note, which was given to U.S. District Court Judge Robert Patterson.

The judge denied a mistrial request by defence counsel William Schwartz who spoke of the "chilling effect of the altercation on the other jurors."

The note said the threat was made on Wednesday. The 12 jurors were still deliberating on Thursday.

In a separate note the jury foreman told the judge that he believed the "altercation yesterday could be traced to both parties involved."

Joseph Collins, the former outside lawyer for Refco, has been on trial since May 11 following his indictment last year on charges of fraudulently trying to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in revolving lines of credit.