On June 21, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York announced that a former grand juror had pled guilty to leaking secret grand jury information to a number of people between November 2016 and May 2017.
According to court filings, Casey Lipps, 26, of North Tonawanda, New York, was selected to serve on a federal grand jury in October 2016. North Tonawanda is a city of around 32,000 located midway between Buffalo and Niagara Falls in western New York.
During the selection process, U.S. District Judge Richard Arcara ordered the grand jurors to keep all matters before the grand jury secret.
On November 10, 2016, a federal prosecutor named Marie Grisanti presented a case to the grand jury. Around five months later, Lipps admitted to Grisanti that he had disclosed information about a target of the investigation to his sister. He also admitted that the target had attempted to contact him on Facebook.
Lipps later admitted to making additional disclosures to his parents, his girlfriend, and a co-worker. He also told a local drug dealer about two drug trafficking investigations.
Lipps also admitted to making false statements to government officials investigating the leaks.
He was apparently removed from the grand jury towards the end of the term.
Casey Lipps pleads guilty to contempt of court
Lipps pled guilty to one count of contempt of court under a plea deal with the government. The agreement includes a sentencing range of 0 to 6 months in prison, a fine of $500 to $9,500, and 1 to 5 years of supervised release. The offense will be classified as a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the judge’s sentence.
The maximum sentence for contempt of court is life in prison.
Lipps was released on his own recognizance on June 21. The conditions of release include travel restrictions, a mental health evaluation, a drug test, and restrictions on possessing weapons.
He is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Lawrence Vilardo on October 29, 2019.