ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The jury in the tax and bank fraud trial against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort failed to reach a verdict Friday after its second day of deliberations.
The jury had signaled in a note to Judge T.S. Ellis in the afternoon it would be going home for the weekend without a decision. The jury requested to be dismissed at 5 p.m. so one of its 12 members could attend a previously scheduled event.
“I’m going to do that, maybe five minutes before,” Ellis said Friday afternoon, shortly before dismissing the jurors.
Outside the courtroom, Manafort’s lead defense attorney Kevin Downing said he’s pleased to see the jury is taking their time and that he thinks a long deliberation plays in his client’s favor.
Manafort faces 18 criminal charges that include tax evasion, failing to report foreign bank accounts, bank fraud and bank fraud conspiracy. The charges stem from special counsel Robert Mueller‘s sprawling investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Manafort’s bank fraud case represents Mueller’s first test in court since he began his investigation in May 2017. – READ MORE
[divider][/divider]Judge T.S. Ellis III revealed in open court Friday that he has received death threats relating to his presiding over Paul Manafort’s trial for bank and tax fraud at a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
The judge has since retained the protection of the U.S. Marshals Service.
“I have the marshal’s protection,” Ellis said. “I don’t even go to the hotel alone. I won’t even reveal the name of the hotel.”
“I had no idea this case excited this emotion in the public,” he added.
Ellis made the comments after a coalition of news organizations — including The Washington Post, The New York Times, the Associated Press, CNN, NBC, Politico and BuzzFeed — requested the names and addresses of jurors seated for Manafort’s case.- READ MORE
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