Bout’s defense team filed a motion for a retrial on grounds that at least one of the jury members may have been influenced by media portrayals of Bout. Following the reading of the verdict, the jury foreperson Heather Hobson told the New York Times that she saw “Lord of War” prior to Bout’s trial, but was unaware that the film supposedly depicts Viktor Bout’s life. Due to extensive reporting on Bout in the media, the jurors were asked to sign an oath not to do Internet research on him, or follow the media reports of the case.
Hobson’s statement led Bout’s lead defense lawyer Albert Dayan to write a letter to Judge Shira A. Scheindlin of the Federal District Court in Manhattan to express his concerns about the fairness of the jury verdict.
Prosecutors said that it could not be proved that Heather Hobson was aware of the connection between “Lord of War” and Viktor Bout during the trial. They added that even if Ms. Hobson had been aware of this connection during the trial, this would not have affected her vote. In her interview for The New York Times Ms. Hobson stated that Bout was convicted “by his own words” (from a recorded meeting with undercover DEA agents), and the “overwhelming” evidence presented against him in the courtroom.
Viktor Bout was convicted of plotting to kill American citizens by aiding an anti-American terrorist group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
He was found guilty on November 2, 2011, and his sentence will be announced on February 8, 2012.
