May 28, 2008 2:42 pm US/Central
Rezko Jury Requests New Verdict Form
Coffee Spill Prompts Jurors To Send Note To Judge
CHICAGO (AP) ―
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Antoin "Tony" Rezko leaves the Dirksen Federal Building April 18, 2008 after being freed on $8.5 million bond.
CBS
The jury at political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko's fraud trial on Wednesday asked the judge for a fresh verdict form, saying they had spilled coffee on the old one.
U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve agreed to send in a fresh verdict form after calling in attorneys for Rezko and federal prosecutors.
She also sent a note to the jury telling them to keep the old, coffee-stained verdict form with them until their deliberations are over.
The jury also said one of its members needed to leave early Thursday.
Rezko, 52, whose fate is being decided by the jury, sat and listened to the less-than-weighty message without showing any emotion.
Rezko is charged with using his political clout with Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration to get a $1.5 million bribe from a contractor and pressure kickbacks out of money management firms wanting to do business with a $40 billion state pension fund.
The jury has taken a number of days and half days off -- perhaps slightly more than usual for juries in a big case.
The jurors had promised St. Eve that they would stay late both Wednesday and Thursday to speed up their deliberations. While their usual quitting time is 4:30 p.m., they said they would go until 5:50 p.m.
But in their latest note, they said one of the jurors had to leave at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. After consulting with the attorneys, St. Eve told them to go ahead. They'd already asked for Friday off because a juror's in-laws are coming to visit.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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