Trump’s hush money conviction could be in doubt after a Facebook post claimed jurors were discussing plans to find the ex-president guilty before delivering their verdict.
Judge Juan Merchan sparked speculation of potential mistrial when he sent a letter to the prosecution and defense attorneys about the message that read: ‘My cousin is a juror and says Trump is getting convicted [heart emoji] Thank you folks for all your had work!!!!’
The user, named Michael Anderson, wrote the post that sparked confusion on a New York Unified Court System’s Facebook page.
It raises questions about whether one of the jurors did in fact discuss the case with others when they were not allowed to.
If that were the case, it could be grounds for a mistrial.
It is not clear that the Facebook user who posted was related to any juror or had any prior knowledge of the verdict. It could also have been a random Facebook user looking to stir controversy or confusion.
The profile for Anderson claims to be a ‘professional s**t poster’ – another name for an internet troll.
Anderson’s Facebook profile has since been deleted and DailyMail.com was unable to contact him before it was taken down.
A photo of a cross-dressing, cigarette-smoking man grabbed from the profile before it was deleted was being touted as Anderson – but the man in the image is actually late punk rocker GG Allin, who died in 1993 aged 36.
The jury of seven men and five women at Manhattan Criminal Court deliberated for nearly 10 hours before convicting the former President of 34 charges of falsifying business records.
Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up the payment to porn star Stormy Daniels so she would stay quiet about a previous sexual encounter before the 2016 election.
It was the first time a former U.S. President has faced a criminal trial and came as Trump is running for a second term as president.
The ex-president has railed against the verdict and his lawyers have already said they would appeal.
The Trump campaign said it was ‘investigating.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for comment.