started · updated
Washington, D.C. jurors find undisclosed money and drugs in trial evidence
During a monthlong criminal trial in a Washington, D.C. federal court, jurors discovered undisclosed items within physical evidence while deliberating. The items included a Chinese yuan found in a sweatshirt and a suspicious white powder, suspected to be drugs, hidden inside a folded piece of paper within a jacket.
Neither the defense team, the prosecutors, nor law enforcement agencies were aware of the money or the substance prior to the jury's discovery. Judge Rudolph Contreras expressed amazement at the failure of law enforcement to uncover the items during the initial investigation of the evidence.
The defendant, Shamell Naquan Joyner, was facing charges related to the robbery of several convenience stores and gas stations in 2023.
Entities
FBI · Rudolph Contreras · Shamell Naquan Joyner · US District Court for the District of Columbia · Washington, D.C.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Jurors discovered a Chinese yuan in a sweatshirt submitted as evidence during deliberations. wtop.com · krdo.com · localnews8.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Shamell Naquan Joyner was charged with robbing convenience stores and gas stations in 2023. wtop.com · krdo.com · localnews8.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Judge Rudolph Contreras expressed amazement at law enforcement's failure to uncover the evidence. wtop.com · krdo.com · localnews8.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] Jurors found a suspicious white powder inside a folded piece of paper within a jacket used as evidence. wtop.com · krdo.com · localnews8.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] The FBI and the DC US Attorney’s Office were unaware of the money and powder in the evidence prior to the jury's discovery. wtop.com · krdo.com · localnews8.com