Real-Time Quote
US News
Page 1 of 3 | Next Page
Show Entire Article

John Edwards Cleared of 1 Count; Mistrial on Others
The Associated Press | May 31, 2012 | 04:58 PM EDT

Former presidential candidate John Edwards was found not guilty on one of six campaign fraud charges Thursday, and the jury could not reach a verdict on the other counts, leading the judge to declare a mistrial on them.

Edwards was accused of masterminding a plan to use money from two wealthy donors to hide his pregnant mistress during his run for the White House in 2008.

It was not immediately clear whether prosecutors would retry Edwards on the other counts.

Edwards did not react when the verdict and mistrial were announced, but he was happy and smiling about an hour earlier when the jury said it had reached a verdict on one count after nine days of deliberations.

The acquittal and mistrial highlighted a day of confusion when Judge Catherine Eagles mistakenly believed jurors had reached a verdict on all six counts.

Instead, the jury told Eagles it had a unanimous decision on only one charge, and the panel was sent back to the jury room for more talks. About an hour later, the jury sent the note to the judge saying it had exhausted talks.

Prosecutors accused Edwards of knowing about roughly $1 million being funneled to former aide Andrew Young and the candidate's mistress Rielle Hunter. They also said he was well aware of the $2,300 legal limit on campaign donations.

Page 1 of 3 | Next Page
Show Entire Article
Real-Time Quote
omniture pixel