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Case 22-1426, Document 58_02/28/2023, 3475901, Page124 of 221 A-324 Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 653 Filed 04/01/22 Page 7 of 40 As a result of this process, 231 prospective jurors were selected to return for in-person questioning for voir dire. Id. at 4. At this second stage of selection, the Court questioned. prospective jurors one-on-one due to “Covid-related space limitations, to streamline the process in light of a likelihood of a high number of sidebars which would otherwise be required, and to ensure that the comments of one juror [did] not infect the pool.” /d. at 8. Ifa prospective juror was not struck for cause, the Court instructed the now-qualified juror to return on the morning of November 29, 2021, for the parties’ exercise of peremptory strikes. B. Juror 50’s jury selection process Juror 50 completed the questionnaire on the morning of November 4, 2021—the first questionnaire session. Mar. 8, 2022 Hearing Tr. at 7. In his questionnaire, Juror 50 checked “No” for Question 25. Hearing Exhibit 1 at 13, Dkt. No. 638 (hereinafter “Questionnaire”). He left Questions 25a and 25b blank. For Question 48, he checked the box “No.” /d. at 24. He left Questions 48a, 48b, and 48c blank. Finally, Juror 50 checked “No” for Question 49. Jd. at 25. He left Questions 49a, 49b, and 49c blank. Juror 50 was among the prospective jurors the parties agreed should proceed to voir dire. He returned for in-person questioning on November 16, 2021. Consistent with other prospective jurors who had answered “No” to Questions 25, 48, and 49, the Court did not ask Juror 50 any follow-up questions on these issues. However, the Court did ask Juror 50 about his background, whether he would follow the Court’s instructions, and his prior knowledge of the Defendant and Jeffrey Epstein, among other questions. Juror 50 explained that he had seen a news article on CNN, but he could “absolutely” decide the case “based on the facts and evidence, or lack of evidence, here presented in court.” Nov. 16, 2021 Voir Dire Tr. at 130; see also id. at 131 (indicating that he had “no doubt” as to his ability to put his prior knowledge aside). In closing, DOJ-OGR-00020950