2C:29-8 Corrupting or influencing a jury.

2C:29-8  Corrupting or influencing a jury.

   2C:29-8.  Corrupting or Influencing a Jury.

   Any person who, directly or indirectly, corrupts, influences or attempts to corrupt or influence a jury or juror to be more favorable to the one side than to the other by promises, persuasions, entreaties, threats, letters, money, entertainment or other sinister means; or any person who employs any unfair or fraudulent practice, art or contrivance to obtain a verdict, or attempts to instruct a jury or juror beforehand at any place or time, or in any manner or way, except in open court at the trial of the cause, by the strength of the evidence, the arguments of the parties or their counsel, or the opinion or charge of the court is guilty of a crime.

   a.   Corrupting or influencing a jury is a crime of the first degree if the conduct occurs in connection with an official proceeding involving any of the following crimes, as enumerated in subsection d. of section 2 of P.L.1997, c.117 (C.2C:43-7.2), and the actor employs force or threat of force:

   (1)   N.J.S.2C:11-3, murder;

   (2)   N.J.S.2C:11-4, aggravated manslaughter or manslaughter;

   (3)   N.J.S.2C:11-5, reckless vehicular homicide or strict liability vehicular homicide under the provisions of section 1 of P.L.2017, c.165 (C.2C:11-5.3);

   (4)   subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:12-1, aggravated assault;

   (5)   subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.1996, c.14 (C.2C:12-11), disarming a law enforcement officer;

   (6)   N.J.S.2C:13-1, kidnapping;

   (7)   subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:14-2, aggravated sexual assault;

   (8)   subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:14-2 and paragraph (1) of subsection c. of N.J.S.2C:14-2, sexual assault;

   (9)   N.J.S.2C:15-1, robbery;

   (10) section 1 of P.L.1993, c.221 (C.2C:15-2), carjacking;

   (11) paragraph (1) of subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:17-1, aggravated arson;

   (12) N.J.S.2C:18-2, burglary;

   (13) subsection a. of N.J.S.2C:20-5, extortion;

   (14) subsection b. of section 1 of P.L.1997, c.185 (C.2C:35-4.1), booby traps in manufacturing or distribution facilities;

   (15) N.J.S.2C:35-9, strict liability for drug induced deaths;

   (16) section 2 of P.L.2002, c.26 (C.2C:38-2), terrorism;

   (17) section 3 of P.L.2002, c.26 (C.2C:38-3), producing or possessing chemical weapons, biological agents or nuclear or radiological devices; or

   (18) N.J.S.2C:41-2, racketeering, when it is a crime of the first degree.

   b.   Corrupting or influencing a jury is a crime of the second degree if the actor employs force or threat of force and the conduct occurs in connection with an action which does not involve any of the crimes enumerated in subsection a. of this section.

   c.   Otherwise, corrupting or influencing a jury is a crime of the third degree, provided, however, that the presumption of nonimprisonment set forth in subsection e. of 2C:44-1 for persons who have not previously been convicted of an offense shall not apply.

   (added) 1981, c.290, s.33; amended 1986, c.140; 2009, c.169; 2017, c.165, s.8.