Former Goldman Sachs computer programmer Sergey Aleynikov (2nd L) waits to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court at New York, in this file photo taken on August 9, 2012. REUTERS/STEVEN HIRSCH/POOL
Best lede ever on the New York Times’ coverage of the Goldman Sachs programmer trial, which has finally reached an end.
For the second time in five years, Sergey Aleynikov was convicted on charges of stealing confidential computer trading code from his former employer, Goldman Sachs. The first time it took a federal jury just hours to convict; this time it came after more than a week of deliberation and an accusation of “food poisoning” and avocado tampering in a state court jury room.
What?
The prospect of a mistrial stemmed from a dispute between two jurors deciding Mr. Aleynikov’s fate, with a female juror accusing a male one of “food tampering” — in part because an avocado was missing from her sandwich. The female juror also said she had taken a blood test to determine whether she was poisoned, turning the criminal proceedings into a culinary whodunit.
That’s right.
“Ex-Goldman Sachs Programmer Found Guilty in Split Verdict” [nytimes.com]
An avocado. Not THE avocado, but an avocado.