Posted on 08/04/2009 2:57:53 PM PDT by Libloather
UPDATE: William Jefferson jury completes fourth day without verdict
by Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune
Tuesday August 04, 2009, 3:15 PM
ALEXANDRIA, VA. -- The jury in former Democratic Congressman William Jefferson's bribery and corruption trial has completed a fourth day of deliberations without reaching a verdict.
Jurors concluded the day about 90 minutes early to accommodate the schedule of one of their members. They will return Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
There was some courtroom action today as Judge T.S. Ellis and lawyers in the case held two brief bench conferences in the morning to deal with a question from the jury that has not been made public.
The court reporter said the transcript of the conferences was not available because it is "under seal."
Ellis recessed after the conference, saying only that there was a matter that needed to be addressed. Defense attorneys and prosecutors returned to the courthouse about five minutes before 3 p.m. Washington time.
Ellis addressed routine matters in the afternoon session, asking the attorneys whether they anticipated making post-verdict arguments in a possible forfeiture proceedings in the event that Jefferson is convicted on some of the counts. He also asked whether the lawyers thought the jury should be provided a transcript of his jury instructions. Jurors had initially asked for a copy of the instructions, but then said they were not needed.
In the morning conference, Ellis at one point could be seen writing something and Jefferson whispered something to his attorney Robert Trout. No one would comment after the meetings.
Prosecutors left the court after the first conference and both sides returned about 15 minutes later.
(Excerpt) Read more at nola.com ...
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court has refused to delay a bribery trial for the brother of a former Louisiana congressman, setting the stage for a jury to hear the case next week.
Mose Jefferson's trial on charges he bribed a former New Orleans school board president for her support in awarding school contracts is scheduled to start Aug. 10.
Jefferson's lawyer said a key witness for his defense, former state Rep. Renee Gill Pratt, isn't available to testify during the bribery case this month because she is awaiting her own trial next year in a separate but related racketeering conspiracy case.
However, a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals refused Monday to postpone the bribery trial until after the racketeering trial, in which Mose Jefferson also is charged.
Mose Jefferson is a brother of former Rep. William Jefferson, whose trial in Virginia on separate corruption charges was in the hands of a jury Tuesday.
In the bribery case, prosecutors claim Mose Jefferson illegally received a $913,000 commission for a computer-based learning system he sold to the New Orleans public schools system with the help of former school board member Ellenese Brooks-Simms. Jefferson is accused of kicking back $140,000 of his commission to Brooks-Simms as a reward for her support.
Prosecutors also want jurors in the bribery case to hear arguments that Mose Jefferson enlisted Gill Pratt, his girlfriend, to secure state funding for other schools to purchase the computer program. Mose Jefferson is accused of paying Gill Pratt a $3,500 kickback after she secured $300,000 in state funding for the program to be used in two schools.
This is an excerpt.
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090804/NEWS01/90804033/-1/rss01
If he was a republican this would be all over the news
The William Jefferson trial jury is sure taking a long time. I hope this means they are following due diligence and not hesitating to convict the man.
Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too.
The longer they stay out w/o a verdict, I start getting the fear that jury nullification could be rearing its ugly head.
I can just picture several jurors sitting there saying “Dis is all about THE MAN trying to rule over one of the brothers and I’z nots gonna let that happen”.
Lot of complicated charges may be causing delay or hung jury..??
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.