No deliberations again today in Edwards trial

Natalie Gott

Thursday, May 4, 2000 | 2:20 a.m.

BATON ROUGE, La. - Deliberations in former Gov. Edwin Edwards' federal racketeering trial were delayed again today while the judge and attorneys met privately.

Jurors did not deliberate either Tuesday or Wednesday because of similar meetings.

U.S. District Judge Frank Polozola has not discussed publicly what is hanging up the case, and nothing is available in the court record about it. Attorneys, who all are under a gag order, will not talk either.

There were published reports that the problem involves a juror who favors acquittal for all seven defendants and refuses to participate in deliberations.

Throwing a juror off the case amid deliberations would be highly unusual, and in this case would certainly be grounds for appeal of any verdict.

The judge spent all day Tuesday interviewing each of the jurors, an indication that a juror is indeed the problem.

The jury could resume deliberations if the judge removes one juror, leaving 11 to sort out the long verdict form. An alternate juror must be called up if two jurors are removed.

The jurors must vote on 91 individual counts. Edwards is accused on 26 counts.

Edwards and his son Stephen, state Sen. Greg Tarver and four others are accused in 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.

"I know this is an aggravation, but I can't avoid the circumstances," Polozola told jurors when he dismissed them Wednesday.

Polozola has held private meetings with attorneys and defendants in the courtroom and in his chambers daily since Monday, and on one occasion barred news reporters from the courthouse.

The trial began Jan. 10. Jurors got the case April 24, but have spent very few days actually deliberating. Either they have asked to be excused early or they have been waiting for the judge to answer their questions about the case.

"I know we haven't had any deliberations in two days," Polozola told the jurors. "I would hope you would not let any of this interfere with what you have been doing."

The holdout juror was identified by The Times-Picayune as a 40-year-old man from East Baton Rouge Parish who said during jury selection in January that he "agrees somewhat" that Edwards was responsible for problems in the state's gambling industry.

Polozola announced Tuesday evening that he had interviewed each of the 12 jurors - seven men and five women. He did not say why he conducted the interviews or if a particular juror is accused of wrongdoing.