Commission Would Go After Corruption

Republican and Democratic state lawmakers today unveiled a proposal to create a Public Integrity Commission to investigate government corruption. With legal proceedings still pending in the legislative Bonusgate scandal and a Luzerne County judge recently found guilty of taking kickbacks in exchange for convicting juveniles and sending them to privately-operated prisons, the sponsors of the measure decided it was time to tackle corruption.
Tim Potts, president of the nonpartisan citizens' group Democracy Rising, says the Public Integrity Commission (PIC) is "long overdue" and is needed because none of the scandals that have come to light are the result of investigations by the attorney general, the auditor general or the state police....
"The bonus scandal itself only came about because of an accident. A letter got leaked that wasn't supposed to be leaked, and that's what got now Governor (and former Attorney General) Corbett working on it. But none of the law enforcement agencies had the kind of power and exercised the kind of power that the Public Integrity Commission will."
The 7 member commission will be named by the governor who will select from a list of nominees from a panel that includes district attorneys, law school deans and citizen advocates. Potts says no political party can have a majority on the PIC.

The commission, which would have to be confirmed by the Senate, will be paid for by making permanent a $2 surcharge on court filings. Potts says it will have the authority to investigate alleged corruption at the state, county and local levels...

"One of the most important parts about this is that the Integrity Commission will have its own cadre of trained law enforcement investigators who will have the power to bring a case all the way to the point of prosecution and then give the case to the (state) attorney general or the district attorney or whoever the appropriate law enforcement prosecutors might be."

Potts says with 50 co-sponsors in the House and 10 in the Senate he believes the proposal has a good chance for passage..."I think that most lawmakers especially those elected since 2006 (after the pay raise controversy), understand they've got to deliver on higher standards of public integrity and this is one way to do it."

Corbett Might Reduce Involvement in Legislative Corruption Probe

Pennsylvania Governor-elect Tom Corbett says he may step away from his ongoing legislative corruption investigation, as he prepares to take office in January.
Corbett has named eight people to a transition team. The list is mostly made up of longtime Republican insiders, and members of Corbett’s gubernatorial campaign.
Corbett won’t step down as Attorney General until just before the inauguration, and says he’ll keep working at his current job over the next few months.

"The day-to-day work of the Attorney General’s office that comes to my desk in the normal course will continue to come to my desk. I am going to sit down with my first deputy to talk about the status of the bonus investigation, and make a determination about my role with that, after the discussion."

A spokesman says Corbett may remove himself from the legislative corruption probe, due to the fact he’ll be working with lawmakers as Governor-elect.
The Attorney General’s office has filed charges against House Democrats and Republicans, and is now believed to be investigating the Senate Republican caucus.

During a transition press conference Corbett stayed away from making too many new policy announcements. The Republican did say he’d likely overturn Governor Rendell’s moratorium on leasing out more state forest land for natural gas drilling.

"I think it’s 500-thousand acres that are still available. That doesn’t mean all 500-thousand are going to be leased out at one time. Because I see this as something that’s going to go on for decades."


Corbett also named a two-person team charged with raising money for the January 18th inauguration.
The bulk of the event and surrounding celebrations will be privately funded, through individual and corporate contributions.

Controversial Legislative Office Downsized

A special report issued in May by the Grand Jury investigating public corruption in the state legislature detailed how 34 legislative staffers and 35 PennDOT workers spend all their time processing vehicle registration, license renewals and other paperwork for constituents. The jurors argued lawmakers only filed the paperwork to score points with voters. The report prompted Governor Rendell to launch an effort to shut down the PennDOT office. However, the practice remained open, after House Speaker Keith McCall defended it as a valuable constituent service. This week a compromise was reached to scale back the office but leave it otherwise intact. PennDOT will continue to accept individual constituents’ paperwork from lawmakers’ offices, but as McCall’s Chief of Staff Paul Parsells says things are different in rural counties compared to more urban settings and this is a service that makes sense, “If you live in Harrisburg you can get in your car, go right downtown to the riverfront office center, process your paperwork. You can take a publicly funded transit bus down there if you want. In rural Pennsylvania you can’t do that. And many of our members really serve as the front door to state government.” Under the new agreement legislators will not pass along documents from car dealerships or other businesses that already charge fees to their customers. “They estimated it to be approximately 60 percent of the work. And after we evaluated the work we think that might be in the right ballpark. It was a significant amount of work, and it’s work we really didn’t need to be doing,” says Parsells. The PennDOT workers will be reassigned to other departments, but Parcells says the legislative processing offices will stay open. He notes that the office does more than just handle PennDOT work. “This is just one example of the work our legislators do every day. We serve as intermediaries with the Department of Welfare, with the Attorney General, Office of Consumer Advocate, with Treasury. With any agency of the state.” Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler says the change will save a million dollars a year.

Onorato Not Worried About Gubernatorial Turnover

Pennsylvania Democratic gubernatorial nominee Dan Onorato says he’s not concerned by poll data suggesting voters want to see a change from Governor Rendell’s policies.
This month’s Quinnipiac University poll contained dubious numbers for Democrats.
Incumbent Ed Rendell’s approval rating is at 42 percent, and only 32 percent said they want to see the next governor continue the Rendell Administration’s policies.
Onorato says he’s not worried those voters will gravitate toward Republican Tom Corbett, arguing the GOP is equally at fault for Harrisburg gridlock.

"If Corbett wants to have a debate over Rendell, then he’s going to have a debate over the Republican Senate, that was a partner of what’s happened over the last eight years. He cannot wash his hands of it."

The legislature’s approval rating was just 28 percent in the poll. For the past 56 years, control of the governor’s office has switched parties every two terms.
Onorato says voters don’t care about partisan politics, but just want to see someone turn Pennsylvania’s economy around.
Onorato says any additional “Bonusgate” charges filed by Attorney General Corbett will be suspect, if they come before the November election.

"Any discretionary decision he makes between now and Election Day – and whatever I do as a county executive – will always be viewed through the eyes of, these guys are candidates. It’s much tougher when you’re a prosecutor because you’re always going to be questioned. Why now? Why didn’t you do it earlier? I think he has a real issue with his prosecutions because he’s a candidate."

DeWeese Held for Trial

For the second time in a week, a Pennsylvania state lawmaker has been ordered to stand trial on corruption charges. Following a preliminary hearing Monday, Linglestown District Judge William Wenner said he heard enough evidence to hold State Representative Bill DeWeese of Greene County for trial. The former House Speaker was indicted in December but remains in the House and won his Democratic primary in May. He's charged with theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest
Former aides testified for the prosecution including Kevin Sidella who was given immunity. Sidella testified that there was not enough legitimate legislative work to go around so he did campaign fundraising on state time.
Another DeWeese aide, who faces similar charges, waived her right to a preliminary hearing.
Last week, State Senator Jane Orie of Pittsburgh's North Hills was ordered to stand trial on charges she used her state-paid legislative staff to do campaign work for her and her sister, State Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin.

Orie Ordered to Stand Trial

State Senator Jane Orie of Pittsburgh's North Hills and her sister Janine Orie have been held for trial on charges they used the lawmaker's taxpayer-funded staff to do campaign work on state time.
Following a three day preliminary hearing, Allegheny County Judge Donna Jo McDaniel ordered Jane Orie and Janine Orie to stand trial on charges they conspired to use the senator's staff for campaign work for the senator and for a another sister, State Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin. Janine Orie is on paid leave as an aide to Justice Melvin. Several former Orie staffers including the chief of staff testified they conducted campaign work at Senator Orie's direction.
William Costopoulos, attorney for Senator Orie, said he was "disappointed" and questioned the expense of the investigation.....
"Now if you wanna talk about the taxpayer's money lets talk about what this investigation has cost the commonwealth to bring the senator and her sister to trial. The amount of money that has been paid out to investigate the senator and bring her sister to trial far exceeds any of the allegations times ten."

The Ories have denied the allegations claiming they are the result of a "political witch hunt" by District Attorney Stephen Zappala. Senator Orie says she's fighting political corruption particularly in the gambling industry. She claims she was targeted because the district attorney's father, Stephen Zappala, Sr., is the chairman of the Pennsylvania Casino Association...and a former State Supreme Court Justice.

A trial date has not yet been set and another Common Pleas Judge, Jeffrey Manning, will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the investigation into the senator.

Another Bonusgate Defendant Held for Trial

Following a preliminary hearing, a district judge has ordered former state legislator Stephen Stetler, who is also a former member of the Rendell Administration to stand trial for allegedly doing campaign work on state time.
A one-time York County Representative, Stetler ran the House Democratic Campaign Committee before working as Governor Rendell’s Revenue Secretary.
Stetler is facing six counts of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest for allegedly ordering legislative employees to raise money, conduct opposition research and do other campaign work, while on the clock at their publicly-funded jobs.
Witnesses at the hearing testified about making fundraising calls from the state Capitol, using legislative staffers to do background checks on Republican opponents, and coming in early and staying late in order to rack up “comp time,” so they could go campaign for Democrats.
Stetler is one of six current or former lawmakers to face charges in the ongoing legislative corruption probe. Two have gone to trial already.
One, former State Representative Sean Ramaley was found “not guilty.” The other – former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon – has been sentenced to up to 14 years in prison.

Bail Denied, Veon Sent to Prison

Former Pennsylvania House Democratic Whip Mike Veon will spend six to fourteen years in state prison for conducting campaign work with public resources.
Judge Richard Lewis told Veon his “thirst for more power and prestige…caused him to ignore the very laws and regulations he had a hand in creating.”
Lewis said “Hard earned tax dollars were essentially prostituted for political ambition” in the tax-funded bonuses for campaign work scheme.
Veon did not testify during his winter trial, but he made a statement during the sentencing hearing.
He acknowledged making mistakes, and said he apologized.
Veon said he was proud of what he accomplished as a lawmaker, saying “I had an unusual, incredible work ethic.”
Prosecutor Marc Costanzo says even though Veon didn’t come up with the illegal bonus idea, he led the illegal effort.

"It was clearly, based on the testimony of (Michael) Manzo and (Scott) Brubaker – it was their idea. But their good idea would have gone nowhere without Veon being told about it, OKing it, and allowing them to effectuate it. And he monitored it all along."

Lewis denied bail for Veon while he appeals. The onetime legislative leader was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom at the end of the hearing.

Veon Gets 6 to 14 Years in Prison

Former Pennsylvania House Democratic Whip Mike Veon was sentenced today for his March conviction on 14 counts of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest in connection with the use of tax dollars for employees doing campaign work on state time. Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis sentenced Veon to 6 to 14 years in prison, fined him $37,000 and ordered him to pay $100,000 in restitution. The prosecution had asked for a 12 to 17 year prison term.
Prior to his sentencing, Veon told the judge "I made mistakes, I apologize."
Judge Lewis denied his request to be free on bond while he appeals.

Earlier today, Judge Lewis sentenced Veon's former aide, Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink to 3 to 6 months in jail followed by 3 months house arrest and 45 months probation. Perretta-Rosepink, who ran the district office of former Beaver County State Representative Mike Veon, was fined $8,000 and ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution. The judge said she clearly broke the law , but he didn't believe she was a central figure in the scheme to use public resources for campaign work.

Another Bonusgate Defendant Sentenced

A former legislative aide was sentenced to 3 to 6 months in the Dauphin County Jail for her conviction in the illegal bonuses scandal. Judge Richard Lewis also sentenced Anna Marie Peretta-Rosepink to 3 months house arrest and 45 months probation. Perretta-Rosepink, who ran the district office of former Beaver County State Representative Mike Veon, was fined $8,000 and ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution.
Prior to her sentencing, Perretta-Rosepink admitted that she directed employees to perform campaign work on state time. She apologized, admitted to "crossing the line," said she didn't know how to decline when she was asked to do campaign work, and then asked for leniency.
The prosecution was seeking a 19 to 44 month sentence in a state prison. Perretta-Rosepink's attorney called it a fair sentence but the prosecutor Patrick Blessington says she still hasn't accepted full responsibility.
Perreta-Rosepink was convicted in March, along with her former boss, Veon, and a former House aide Brett Cott for their roles in using state tax dollars for illegal campaign work.
Veon is being sentenced later this morning. The prosecution is seeking a sentence of 12 to 17 years. Cott began serving his 21 to 60 month sentence in May. Judge Lewis is expected to rule next week on Cott's request to reduce that sentence.

Grand Jury: PA Legislature "Bloated" With Staff

The Grand Jury that spent two years listening to testimony about legislative corruption has issued a scathing report calling for sweeping changes in Harrisburg.
The grand jury’s report charges the “overwhelming majority” of lawmakers with putting personal gains ahead of serving constituents.
The jurors say they’re “appalled” by the amount of staffers assigned to state representatives and senators.
The report quotes testimony from a former House Republican staffer who conducted a study that found only 289 of the caucus’475 staffers were actually needed to conduct legislative work. That passage caught the eye of good-government advocate Tim Potts, who runs Democracy Rising PA.
"That surprised me. I knew there were an awful lot of folks there who didn’t need to be there. But I didn’t know it was that extensive."
As one example, the report points out many legislative staffers spend all their time filling out vehicle and license registration forms for constituents.
The jurors say that’s a waste of tax dollars, and argue it’s only done so lawmakers can win favor with voters.
Potts agrees with the jurors’ conclusion that lawmakers become warped by the system.
"People would come there with the idea that they would serve for a limited period of time, or they were going to accomplish particular things and then leave. And then within about six months you see people change in their attitudes. It’s no longer being there to do the job. It’s simply being there to have the job."
In addition to shrinking staff, the Grand Jury recommends routine independent audits of legislative spending, the elimination of the per diem payments lawmakers receive when they’re in Harrisburg, and legislative term limits. The Grand Jurors also say the General Assembly should shift from full-time to part time.
Many of the suggested changes can only be implemented through a constitutional convention.

Prosecution: Twitter Feed Shows Cott Has No Remorse

An assistant attorney general for Pennsylvania is defending the subpoena his office sent to Twitter, saying the information requested was relevant to Brett Cott’s sentencing.
According to the Office of the Attorney General, the person behind the anti-Tom Corbett blog CasablancaPA isn’t an innocent observer.
A sentencing memorandum claims Brett Cott, who will serve up to five years in prison for his role in the Bonusgate scheme, has used the site “to deflect blame and deny responsibility for his criminal conduct.”
Deputy Attorney General Marc Costanzo said the subpoena was intended to tie Cott to the website and related Twitter feed.

"The reasons for the subpoena were legal reasons that were allowed by law, and had nothing to do with blogs or tweets that were critical of people. We have no interest in that whatsoever."

Cott’s lawyer, Brian Walk, says there’s no evidence connecting Cott to CasablancaPA.
Walk, says the anti-Tom Corbett blog is irrelevant.

"Did they show any evidence that Brett’s connected to that? Has anybody seen that? Because maybe I missed that. And maybe I missed the repealing of the First Amendment."


Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis said in court that the site wasn’t a factor in his sentencing decision.
The subpoena was made public hours after Corbett won the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
His opponent, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, says Corbett is “trying to bully [critics] into silence.”

Cott Attorney: Sentence Too Harsh

The first defendant sentenced in the legislative corruption investigation dubbed “Bonusgate” will go to prison for at least 21 months.
Former House Democratic staffer Brett Cott was convicted of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest in March for conducting political work with public resources.
Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis has sentenced him to 21 months to five years behind bars.
Cott also has to pay an 11-thousand dollar fine. His lawyer, Brian Walk, says the sentence is unjust.

"We’re disappointed with the whole case. 42 charges and three convictions, and the kid gets 21 months? 21 months? We’ve got drug dealers that the Attorney General’s office prosecutes that don’t get that much time. We’ve got violent offenders that don’t get that much time."

Lewis told Cott that he and the other House Democrats played with tax dollars “like Monopoly money,” and that the “electoral process suffered an incalculable blow” due to the taxpayer-funded bonuses Cott, former House Minority Whip Mike Veon and others handed out for campaign work.

Deputy Attorney General Marc Costanzo says he’s pleased with the decision.

"I thought the sentencing – sentence – was well within the range that we asked the court to give. And we think the sentence sends a pretty loud and clear message that this kind of activity will not be tolerated, and that you’re going to pay for those crimes."

Veon and former staffer Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink will be sentenced next month.

Hearing on Veon Juror's Blog Posting

A Dauphin County Judge is considering defense assertions that jurors in the public corruption trial of former Beaver County State Representative Mike Veon tainted the case. Common Pleas Judge Richard Lewis heard arguments today on a motion seeking a new trial or similar remedies in the case against Veon and former aides Brett Cott and Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink. The three were convicted March 22nd after more than a week of deliberations of illegally using tax dollars to give bonuses for legislative aides who did campaign work on state time. A third former staffer, Stephen Keefer, was acquitted.
At issue is a blog post by one of the jurors in which he talked about visiting the Capitol in Harrisburg, along with other jurors, to look for Veon's office.
Michael Palermo, the attorney for Perretta-Rosepink Palermo says the trip may have been innocent – but it raises questions.

"The fact of the matter is they went and they had the – it appears from the blog, and I’m not accusing all the jurors of this – but it appears they their intent to do their own research. Which is troubling, because the judge told every juror, you don’t do your own investigation. The only evidence you can look at is what comes off the witness stand."

Palermo said if the visit to the Capitol was innocent, it was innocent. "But if they started looking for stuff and it affected their ability to deliberate, or actually enter deliberations, then that’s a problem."

Jury Visit to Capitol...Cause for Possible Mistrial?

A juror’s blog post has lawyers calling for a mistrial in the case against a former top House Democrat and three one-time aides.
A day after the jury convicted former Beaver County State Representative Mike Veon and former staffers Brett Cott and Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink of campaigning on state time, alternate juror Jonathan Smith wrote a blog entry about his experience.
He mentioned the panelists took their “juror” badges off during lunch, and that one time they decided to tour the Capitol to seek out the room where much of the campaigning allegedly took place.
Perretta-Rosepink’s lawyer, Michael Palermo, says that may be grounds for a mistrial.

"I don’t know – let’s say, for instance, they said, well I want to go see because I want to see the proximity to Mike Veon’s office to 626 to see if it was even possible to get this done. And, you know, they find out where Veon’s office is, and somebody tells them, well 626 is upstairs. And to actually see that – now that could affect the deliberations."

Palermo says the unauthorized field trip may have been innocent but he wants Dauphin County Judge Richard Lewis to bring the jury back and ask about it.
Kevin Harley, a spokesman for Attorney General Tom Corbett, says he’s confident the verdicts will be upheld.

Corbett Pleased With Veon Verdict

Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett is pushing back against criticism that former House Democratic Whip Mike Veon and two former aides were only convicted on a handful of the 139 counts they faced.
Mike Veon was convicted on just 14 of the 59 counts he faced, but Corbett says that’s a misleading figure.
Corbett explains prosecutors filed four duplicative theft charges in each of the 11 criminal episodes they alleged Veon took part in.

"There can only be one theft, and the jury had to decide which one it is. Technically a jury could decide, well it’s all four. But for the purposes of sentencing they would have been merged together and only sentences under one count."

Veon, who was convicted for seven different episodes, faces up to 73 years in jail.
Annamarie Peretta-Rosepink’s maximum sentence is 25 years, while Brett Cott’s is 17.
Corbett says he expects all three will serve time. The legislative corruption investigation is ongoing.
Corbett says there’s “a potential” for more arrests, but wouldn’t provide any specific details.

Jury Chair Comments on Veon Trial

The foreman of the jury that convicted former Beaver County State Representative Mike Veon of 14 counts says he saw him an accomplice "but the buck has to stop somewhere."
Gene Shutt says jurors had a sense of the historic nature of the case and at times felt overwhelmed by the volume of evidence. Shutt says the deliberations became "emotional" over the 7 days but "jurors remained civil." Shutt says at times he worried they would never reach a verdict and that intense discussions continued until just before they reached a verdict last night.
The jury convicted Veon of 14 of the 59 counts of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest for using public money to conduct campaign work. Former staffer Stephen Keefer was cleared of all charges. However, former aides Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink and Brett Cott were convicted of five and three counts respectively.
Veon, Perretta-Rosepink and Cott will be sentenced May 21.

Veon to Appeal Conviction

Former Pennsylvania House Democratic Whip Mike Veon is guilty on 14 counts of theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest for using public money to conduct campaign work.
Onetime staffer Steve Keefer was cleared on all charges, while two other former employees are guilty on several counts.
The jury found Veon, a former Beaver County State Representative, guilty on charges related to bonuses for campaign work schemes in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
He’s also guilty of conducting campaign work on state time, financing campaign communications efforts with tax dollars, and ordering legislative staffers to cart his motorcycles around the country while on the clock.
Prosecutor Frank Fina says the verdicts send a message to corrupt lawmakers.

"To stop using the people’s money for personal benefit. For their own personal ambitions and their own political whims."

Veon’s wife cried while the verdicts were read, but the ex-Beaver County looked straight at the judge, showing no emotion.
He spoke to reporters afterwards.

"I’m thrilled for Steve Keefer. Clearly in my view neither Steve Keefer, nor Annamarie, Not Brett, should have been in this courtroom for the last six weeks. So I’m especially thrilled for Steve Keefer. He deserved it – but so did Brett and Annamarie. I’ll have more comments another time, another day."

Steve Keefer walked on all sixteen counts he faced and afterward said he just wanted to get back to his life.
Both Brett Cott and Annamarie Perretta Rosepink are guilty of doing campaign work on state time.
Veon’s lawyer, Dan Raynak, says he’s disappointed but he’ll file an appeal.

"This is just the beginning of the fight. This is far from over. We believe there were many errors made during the trial, and we will certainly anticipate and hope that this verdict does not stand."

Raynak says he’s still convinced Attorney General Tom Corbett’s investigation was politically motivated.

The jury deliberated for more than a week though Judge Richard Lewis ordered them to re-start their discussions on Friday, when a sick panelist was replaced with an alternate juror.
Sentencing for Veon, Perretta-Rosepink and Cott is set for May 21st.

Veon, 2 Former Aides Convicted

Three of the four defendants in the latest "Bonusgate" public corruption trial have been convicted. Former Beaver County State Representative Mike Veon and former aides Brett Cott, Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink and Stephen Keefer were charged with theft, conspiracy, and conflict of interest for allegedly using state tax money to give bonuses to staffers who did campaign work while on state time.
Veon was convicted of 14 of the 59 counts against him including overseeing the bonuses for campaign work from 2004-2006 and for having staffers cart his motorcycles around the country. Cott was convicted of 3 counts and Perretta-Rosepink was found guilty of 5 counts.
Keefer was acquitted of all charges.
Earlier today Judge Richard Lewis denied a request by attorneys for Veon and Perretta-Rosepink to declare a mistrial. They contended that the judge on Friday should have declared a mistrial instead of excusing a juror for illness and replacing her with an alternate.
Veon's attorneys say they will appeal.
Keefer is now free and says he's happy and ready to get on with his life.
Listen to Kevin Gavin speaking with Reporter Scott Detrow moments after the verdict.

No Mistrial, Jury Wants to Deliberate into Evening

The jury deliberating the fate of former Pennsylvania House Democratic Whip Mike Veon and three onetime aides has requested to work late into evening tonight.
Meantime, a judge has denied the defense’s motion for a mistrial.
Lawyers for three of the four defendants contend Judge Richard Lewis violated Pennsylvania law by replacing a sick juror with an alternate and then re-setting deliberations on Friday.
Joel Sansone, who’s representing Mike Veon, says the switch is definite grounds for appeal.

"If there’s a guilty verdict on any of the defendants, on any counts, it is now permanently and irreparably tainted."

Lewis denied the defense’s mistrial motion, saying his reading of the Superior Court decision that sets the framework for a juror switch justifies his ruling.
He also pointed out the defense did not object to his decision on Friday.
Karl Rominger, who’s representing former Veon staffer Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink, is convinced the jury is deadlocked.

"I would tell you that I believe we will firmly see something come out from this jury that will again beg from the deadlock charge. It’s clear from what we’ve seen in the notes and what we’ve heard that there is some sort of deadlock back there."

The motion quoted a note from the foreman to Judge Lewis saying “there are barriers and biases that cannot be hurdled.” Prosecutor Frank Fina says the defense is misconstruing the jury foreman’s note to Judge Lewis.

"You’re getting one part of the note, so context is everything. And the foreman had every opportunity to follow up. He didn’t. they’ve been deliberating another ten hours since then. Actually, it would be twelve hours since that note was passed. So there’s clearly no problem at this point."

Defense lawyers are concerned because the jury asked the judge last week whether they could render a verdict if they had “come to a decision on one person.”
That was before deliberations started again from scratch.