Deliberations continue in Edwards trial, attorneys meet with judge

Natalie Gott

Monday, May 1, 2000 | 5:02 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. - Attorneys and defendants in former Gov. Edwin Edwards' federal racketeering trial spent most of Monday in secret, closed-door meetings with the judge while jurors deliberated for about 6half hours.

Attorneys rushed from U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola's chambers to private meeting rooms and back to the judge's chambers throughout the afternoon.

Many of the defendants were with the attorneys, although Edwards did not show up to the courthouse until a few minutes before the jurors were dismissed.

Edwards, his son, Stephen, state Sen. Greg Tarver and four others are accused of a series of extortion schemes to manipulate the licensing of Louisiana riverboat casinos from 1991 through 1997. If convicted on all counts, Edwards, 72, faces more than 300 years in prison.

Edwards' wife, Candy, was called into the judge's chambers Monday morning, but would not discuss what the meeting was about.

"I've been dismissed," she told Edwards and his daughter, Anna, who were waiting for her on a bench in the courthouse while she was in the brief meeting.

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys refused to discuss their meetings with the judge, citing a strict gag order issued by the judge.

The only note from the jurors that Polozola made reference to at the end of the day was a request from one of the jurors to leave at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, instead of the normal 5 p.m. quit time.

He said little to the attorneys after the jurors were excused.

"The jury gets here around eight, five after. When they get here, we'll bring them into court," Polozola said.

The defense attorneys huddled for another brief meeting before filing into court.

The jury began deliberations about 10 a.m., after Polozola read to them a condensed version of the jury instructions. The new 51-page set of instructions is a condensed guide to the 96 pages the judge read April 24, just before deliberations began.