NEW YORK (AP) — The juror who reportedly gave defense lawyers an "OK" sign during the trial of two former Tyco International executives denied in an interview Tuesday that she signaled them in any way.

Ruth Jordan said she never made the hand gesture that some reporters saw as a sign to defense lawyers that she was holding out for acquittal.

"I did not send anybody any OK sign," she said in a joint interview with The New York Times and the CBS News program "60 Minutes II". "I would never do that. It's contrary to what I'm supposed to do as a juror. It's unbelievably stupid."

Jordan, 79, said she frequently brushes back her hair because of a medical condition, shingles, on her face. The condition makes her forehead sensitive so she brushes her hair back.

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The show airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. EDT on CBS.

After some news outlets reported Jordan had given the defense the signal and disclosed her name in news articles, she received an intimidating letter and telephone call. News organizations usually do not report the names of sitting jurors.

After Jordan reported the contacts to state Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus, he declared a mistrial Friday in the cases of L. Dennis Kozlowski, 57, Tyco's former chief executive officer, and Mark H. Swartz, 43, the former chief financial officer.

The former executives, accused of looting Tyco of $600 million, had been charged with grand larceny, falsifying business records, conspiracy and securities fraud. Each would have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

She said the letter was "disturbing" but "wasn't threatening," the newspaper said in Wednesday's editions. It stated "Dennis and Mark are huge criminals, and how could I have failed to see that."

Police traced the typed letter, which was signed and inside a handwritten envelope, to Massachusetts, where they interviewed the writer last week.

The author "thought there was already a mistrial and was complaining to her about it," a police official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The writer has not been charged with any crime, and authorities in Manhattan say the investigation is continuing.

Rather said Jordan, a former teacher who became a lawyer in her late 50s, praised the judge and her fellow jurors, despite indications in jury notes during deliberations that they were not getting along.