SAN JOSE — In an unusual turn of events that could affect the verdict in a San Jose rape case, a woman has been arrested in the middle of the trial on suspicion of flying to Detroit and offering the victim $30,000 not to testify.

Although the woman who offered the alleged bribe won’t be charged until after Geoffrey Chambers’ rape trial, Santa Clara County Superior Judge Deborah A. Ryan decided that jurors had to be given some bare-bones information about the alleged financial inducement. Prosecutor Bryan Slater was able to argue that the victim’s refusal to accept the money was germane to the highly contentious issue of her credibility in the he-said/she-said case, which is expected to reach closing arguments on Tuesday.

Chambers, now 53, is accused of raping his then-19-year-old female relative, who reportedly texted a cousin immediately after what would have been the April 2011 assault. However, the texts could not be recovered by the cellphone company, and the cousin was not called to testify. The defense has argued that the young woman made up the story because she was embarrassed about the encounter, and that her actions during the encounter did not convey a lack of interest.

Information about the alleged attempted bribe to dissuade the young woman from testifying was carefully reported in three parts to the jury:

The complaining witness was offered $30,000 not to testify.

She declined the offer.