Edwards trial delayed again because of sick juror

Natalie Gott

Wednesday, March 22, 2000 | 2:30 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. - A sick juror in Edwin Edwards' federal racketeering trial forced a judge to cancel court Wednesday and further delayed the testimony from the government's star witness, former San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr.

Testimony from DeBartolo is now likely to come next week. Defense attorneys were still questioning FBI agent Geoffrey Santini when court ended early Tuesday. Prosecutors also planned to call two more FBI agents, gaming board chairman Hillary Crain and DeBartolo's business associate, Ed Muransky.

Testimony was suspended early Tuesday when the juror, No. 334, a fifth grade teacher in East Baton Rouge Parish, nearly ran out of the courtroom because she felt sick.

It was unclear Wednesday whether prosecutors or defense attorneys will ask to strike No. 334 from the jury if she is too sick to return to the courtroom on Thursday.

Already, three jurors have been have been removed from the case, leaving a total of fifteen jurors on the panel. Twelve will deliberate and three are alternates.

Edwards, his son, Stephen; state Sen. Greg Tarver, D-Shreveport, and four others have been on trial since Jan. 10, accused in a series of schemes to manipulate the way the state awards riverboat casino licenses. The schemes allegedly began before Edwards took his fourth and final term in office in 1992 and continued on after he left office in 1996.

In this part of the case, prosecutors are trying to prove that in 1997, Edwards extorted $400,000 from DeBartolo, who eventually received a riverboat casino license. DeBartolo gave the license back after he testified before the federal grand jury looking into Edwards and his business dealings.

Santini has been on the witness stand for four days interpreting conversations between Edwin and Stephen Edwards and DeBartolo. When court adjourned Tuesday, Tarver's attorney, Mary Olive Pierson, was questioning Santini.

U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola excused court early last Thursday so a juror could attend a doctor's appointment. The same juror was ill the following day and court was canceled.

Polozola already had scheduled a day off for Monday, and another juror has requested a day off late next week so she can be at the hospital when her granddaughter is born.