Fitzgerald: Cellini’s conviction should stand

A federal prosecutor says an Illinois power broker’s recent conspiracy conviction should stand despite revelations that a juror in the case failed to disclose her criminal record.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald filed the response late Thursday night to a defense motion that seeks a new trial for William Cellini. He was convicted of conspiring to shake down a Hollywood producer.

Fitzgerald argues the juror’s civil rights were restored because she’d completed probation for her two felony convictions.

He also says that even if she were ruled ineligible to serve, Cellini wouldn’t get a new trial unless his attorneys could prove that she deliberately concealed the convictions and that she would have been excluded from the jury pool if she hadn’t.

The defense contends she was dishonest, making her a biased juror.