Federal grand juror who admitted to leaking secret information ‘sincerely sorry’
A federal grand juror who admitted to leaking secret information to a friend over the course of more than a year will serve two months of home confinement, but no prison time, as a judge sought to dissuade future jurors from violating their oaths.
Jessica Leslie, 34, pleaded guilty to a single count of criminal contempt for revealing information that otherwise would have been shielded from the public to her friend, who posted the secrets on social media. Leslie and her lawyers reached a plea agreement with the government, recommending a sentence of time served followed by two years of supervised release.
Judge Indira Talwani largely stuck to the agreement, but added on the home confinement term. She said she thought "something is needed to underscore" the seriousness of the offense.
While prosecutors have not publicly confirmed which cases Leslie leaked information about, they have confirmed that the leaks took place between August 2022 and March 2024. The disclosures were primarily concentrated in a case where Leslie "got caught up in the fervor" surrounding it, Leslie's attorney said.
"I can't think of any case in Massachusetts from the time that social media has really blossomed that's attracted more potential fervor than the primary case here," Keith Halpern, Leslie's lawyer, said Thursday.
It is during the period that Leslie served on a grand jury that several witnesses connected to the Karen Read case were called to testify as part of a federal investigation into the state's handling of the case. No charges were ever brought in that case.
Leslie felt as though "a horrible wrong had been done to someone and the grand jury proceeding was looking at correcting that in some way," Halpern said. She and her friend "saw this proceeding as achieving some sort of justice for somebody they believed was a victim."
Leslie, who wore a black jacket with her hair pulled into a ponytail, sat silently for much of the proceedings. When she was given the chance to speak to Talwani ahead of the imposition of her sentence, Leslie cried as she expressed remorse for her actions.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sincerely sorry," she said, adding she knew she had disrespected the judicial system. "I understand now I could have seriously harmed someone … by revealing what I did."
Neither Leslie nor Halpern spoke to reporters following the hearing.
In addition to the two years of supervised release, Leslie must pay a special assessment of $100. Talwani did not impose a fine.
"Ms. Leslie, I wish you success moving forward," Talwani said before adjourning the hearing.
More News
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
