Potential juror in Lynn rape trial indicted for perjury

SALEM – A Grand Jury indicted a Salem man last week on charges of perjury and misleading a judge after he allegedly lied about knowing three men on trial for gang rape during jury selection, according to Essex District Attorney spokesperson Carrie Kimball-Monahan.Jonathan Ngarambe was a member of the jury pool in the trial of Rafael Nina Brito, 22, Luis Arias, 22, and Justin Louf, 21, all of Salem, who were charged with aggravated rape of a 17-year-old Salem girl on Feb. 15, 2008 following a Lynn English basketball game.Nina Brito was convicted of the rape on March 30 and will be sentenced Wednesday. Louf and Arias pleaded guilty and were sentenced to four years and six months and three years and nine months, respectively, in state prison.Salem Police arrested Ngarambe, 23, of 10 First St., Salem, March 21 and charged him with intimidating a witness after Assistant District Attorney Greg Friedholm saw Ngarambe make eye contact and nod at Arias as he came into the courtroom, according to an arrest report. Friedholm became concerned when Ngarambe did not raise his hand after Superior Court Judge John T. Lu asked the potential jurors if they knew anyone related to the case.At Friedholm?s request, Lu also asked Ngarambe directly three times if he knew anyone involved in the case, and he denied it each time, according to the report.Arias and Brito both acknowledged knowing who Ngarambe was, according to the arrest report, and Brito told his attorney Ngarambe had said hello to him in the courtroom lobby that morning.Salem Police conducted an investigation and found that the potential juror was listed as a friend of Brito on Facebook and that Arias was listed as a follower of Ngarambe on Twitter. He also attended Salem High School with the three men.At his arraignment on March 21, Ngarambe?s court-appointed attorney James Craig argued that Ngarambe has over 4,600 Facebook friends and numerous Twitter followers because he sometimes works as a promoter for clubs.Craig argued Ngarambe was confused by the wording of the question, and said he thought the judge was asking if he was “friends” with the defendants, which he claimed he was not.A Salem District Court judge originally ordered Ngarambe held on $5,000 bail, but he will be re-arraigned in Superior Court.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].