EX-JUROR GETS 2 YEARS FOR SIMPSON DRUG SEARCH TIP-OFF

MIAMI -- A former federal grand juror was sentenced Wednesday to two
years in prison for leaking information on an Ecstasy drug ring
investigation before agents searched O.J. Simpson's home.

John Acosta, who pleaded guilty in April to obstruction of justice,
also will have to serve three years' supervised release and perform
300 hours of community service.

Acosta tipped a friend that the friend's girlfriend, Zenaida Galvez,
had been charged Nov. 27, 2001, under a sealed indictment, and that
target locations in the sting included Simpson's home and the home of
defendant Andrew Anderson.

Prosecutors said Galvez then told someone else in the
case.

Just days later, on Dec. 4, search warrants were served at Simpson's
and Anderson's homes, and agents found little or no evidence.

Personal loyalties must never be placed above civic responsibility or
commitment to the common good, especially for a grand juror, U.S.
District Judge Patricia A. Seitz said in sentencing Acosta.

"A grand juror's oath of secrecy is one of the cornerstones of our
system, and any violation of it undermines the public trust and
confidence in our judicial system," said U.S. Atty. Marcos Daniel Jimenez.

Investigators targeted Anderson in the probe, alleging sales of more
than 20,000 Ecstasy tablets. An FBI agent testified at a
co-defendant's trial that Anderson supplied the party drug to the
retired football star.

Simpson has denied through his attorney that he received the drug. He
has not been charged.

All defendants in the Ecstasy case pleaded guilty, except for a
Toledo, Ohio, developer, who was acquitted after admitting he bought
Ecstasy for recreational use.