Sources say Brooks found with pills in court

The federal trial of former body-armor magnate David Brooks was brought to a sudden halt Tuesday morning when federal marshals quickly hustled him out of the Central Islip courtroom and the presiding judge, without explanation, ordered the room cleared of attorneys and spectators.

Sources said a federal marshal guarding Brooks observed him fiddling with one of the dozens of pens he had and noticed what looked like pills had dropped to the ground from one of them. The marshal then noticed that Brooks quickly tried to cover the pills with a foot.

Marshals then rapidly removed Brooks from the courtroom and told Judge Joanna Seybert what they had observed. The judge immediately ordered the courtroom cleared except for the marshals and security officers.

According to sources, marshals then searched Brooks outside the courtroom in a holding cell and the material he had left behind, including the pens. Inside the pens they found concealed a total of nine apparently medical pills, sources said. It was not known what type of pills they were.

Brooks was transferred from the Nassau County jail to a federal detention center in Queens earlier this year when officials found that he had concealed a tranquilizer on his person and a ballpoint pen in a body cavity.

At one point, marshals brought the pens over to Judge Seybert, who counted what appeared to be at least two dozen pens, the sources said. When court resumed about 45 minutes later, Brooks was returned from the cell just outside the courtroom.

The judge could be heard saying to the attorneys at a sidebar, "Mr. Brooks has to control himself or he will be removed from the courtroom."

Seybert ordered all objects removed from the defense table in front of Brooks and said that spectators could no longer bring Brooks anything, including bottles of water and candy. Brooks' family have often been allowed to do so.

Robert Nardoza, a spokesman for Eastern District federal prosecutors, said that officials are investigating whether to charge Brooks with any new crimes, including possession of contraband. Brooks' lawyers, Kenneth Ravenell and Richard Levitt, declined to comment, as did federal prosecutors Richard Lunger and Christopher Caffarone.

Brooks is charged with looting the former Westbury-based DHB Industries of more than $6 million in expenses and masterminding a stock scheme that netted him $185 million.