Abramoff Associate's Fraud Case Ends in Mistrial as Jury Deadlocks(Kevin Ring)

[maddezmom]

Source: WaPo

A federal judge declared a mistrial Thursday in the prosecution of former lobbyist Kevin Ring after jurors deadlocked on charges that he lavished meals and concert tickets on public officials in the hope of illegally influencing them.

After hearing testimony for four weeks at the District's federal court, jurors deliberated for eight days but could not reach a verdict on any of the eight charges of conspiracy, providing an illegal gratuity or honest services fraud. Federal prosecutors indicated they would seek another trial.

Ring, 38, was a close associate of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, one of 16 people who pleaded guilty to participating in a pay-to-play corruption scam that involved members of Congress, their staffers and officials in the executive branch. Ring and federal prosecutors declined to comment.

In a note given to U.S. District Judge Ellen S. Huvelle on Thursday, the seven women and five men on the jury said they were "irrevocably blocked."

Earlier in the week, the jury had said that it had reached a verdict on a fraud charge accusing Ring of helping to orchestrate a $96,000 "no-show" job at his lobbying firm for the wife of then-Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.). "Basically, they put a congressman's wife on retainer," federal prosecutor Michael J. Leotta said during closing arguments.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/15/AR2009101502837.html?hpid=moreheadlines

[eppur_se_muova]

1. BIG bummer. And not a single K&R?? nt