DEFENSE: JUROR DIDN'T TAKE BRIBE

MIAMI (AP) A jury foreman accused of accepting a $500,000 bribe in a 1996
cocaine smuggling trial got money to fund his lavish lifestyle from a
relative convicted of drug trafficking, his attorney said Wednesday.

Prosecutors contend Miguel Moya was able to buy a home in the Florida Keys,
a Hawaiian vacation, a sports car and a boat after being paid to acquit two
men who were charged with making $2 billion off of Colombian cocaine.

Defense attorney Curt Obront said in his opening statement that Moya really
was bankrolled by Ramon "Ray" Perez, a former Miami police officer who
asked Moya's father to hide proceeds from a drug operation in the late 1980s.

"The Moya family has a past that they are not proud of," Obront said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward Nucci said as a prospective juror, Moya lied
about whether he or anyone close to him had ever been arrested or accused.

Nucci also said that Moya ignored a judge's order not to have any contact
with defendants Augusto "Willie" Falcon and Salvador "Sal" Magluta alleged
to be the nation's top cocaine smugglers during the 1980s.

Prosecutors contend an associate of Falcon and Magluta contacted Moya after
he was named foreman of the jury and gave him about $500,000 for his vote
and his influence on other jurors.

"There was a traitor in that jury who was bought and paid for," Nucci said.

Jurors in Falcon and Magluta's cocaine smuggling trial deliberated for
three days before telling the judge they could not reach a verdict. Hours
later, they announced they had acquitted the men, who had been accused of
smuggling 75 tons of cocaine into the country.

The acquittal humiliated prosecutors, including U.S. Attorney Kendall
Coffey, who resigned after a newspaper reported he was under investigation
by the Justice Department for allegedly biting a topless dancer on the arm
the night after the verdict.

Moya, an aircraft hydraulic engineer, is charged with bribery, obstruction
of justice, witness tampering, money laundering and filing a false tax
return. If convicted, he could get up to 130 years in prison

His parents, Jose and Rafaela Moya, were indicted in November on charges of
money laundering, witness tampering and accessory. They also are on trial,
and face up to 62 1/2 years in prison if convicted.

Their attorney said the couple retired because of medical problems and also
started spending Perez's money shortly after Falcon and Magluta were
acquitted.