Nassau DA: Disgraced psychiatrist admits jury tampering try

A disgraced psychiatrist from Sands Point who is serving a prison sentence for raping a patient admitted Tuesday to trying to tamper with the jury that convicted him by donning a disguise and slipping the panel copies of a note about “reasonable doubt.”

Marshall Hubsher, 67, pleaded guilty in Nassau County Court to a third-degree burglary charge and two counts of first-degree attempted jury tampering, according to prosecutors.

Hubsher, who has lost his license to practice medicine, already is serving a sentence of 2 to 3 years in prison after the jury convicted him in March 2016 of third-degree rape and third-degree criminal sexual act for sexually abusing a woman he was treating for depression.

He also is serving time at Mid-State Correctional Facility in upstate Marcy for a separate conviction on charges of fourth-degree conspiracy and unauthorized practice of profession.

Following Tuesday’s plea, Hubsher faces a sentence of 1 to 3 years in prison at his August sentencing, according to the district attorney’s office.

Prosecutors said a review of video surveillance showed Hubsher came into a Mineola courthouse early on a day in which his sex crime trial was in progress wearing a leather jacket and baseball hat and holding newspapers.

He then entered private jury rooms and left falsified “jury instructions” on the doors and tables, according to prosecutors.

The three-paragraph typed note, previously obtained by Newsday, was addressed “To All Jurors — Please read.”

It gave “examples of reasonable doubt,” such as if a witness “had a motive or reason to lie, ie; financial gain,” or may have been “mistaken in memory . . . due to mental illness or disorder.”

Prosecutors said Hubsher left the building with the newspapers and returned a short time later wearing a suit and using a walker to attend his trial.

“Preserving the sanctity and independence of juries is essential to the fair administration of justice, and any effort to tamper with a Nassau jury will be met with serious consequences,” District Attorney Madeline Singas said Tuesday in a prepared statement.

Hubsher, whose Legal Aid Society lawyer couldn’t be reached later Tuesday, is due back in court Aug. 3.