Jurors in John Dougherty’s embezzlement trial end first day of deliberations without a verdict

Jurors began their deliberations Tuesday in the federal embezzlement trial of labor leader John Dougherty but did not reach a verdict after roughly 4 ½ hours of discussion.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl handed the case to the panel of seven women and five men after spending the morning instructing them on the relevant law and how to reach their decision.

“Talk to each other. Listen to each other,” he urged them. “Respect each other’s views and values, but please keep an open mind.”

The panel spent most of the afternoon cloistered in silence, occasionally sending requests to the judge to see certain pieces of evidence, which Schmehl and the lawyers discussed privately in his chambers.

Dougherty, meanwhile, passed the time milling quietly around the courtroom, seated at the defense table at times with his daughter, Tara Chupka, a former in-house counsel for his union, Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Brian Burrows, Dougherty’s codefendant and Local 98′s former president, awaited any word from the jury outside the courtroom.

» READ MORE: As it happened: Jury ends first day deliberations in John Dougherty embezzlement trial without a verdict

Both men have denied prosecutors’ allegations that they and others embezzled more than $600,000 from Local 98 between 2010 and 2016, spending it on everything from home renovations and pricey dinners to mundane purchases like groceries and household goods.

They face charges including conspiracy, embezzlement, wire and tax fraud, and falsification of union financial statements that could send them to prison for up to 20 years on the most serious count.

Dougherty is still awaiting sentencing for his 2021 bribery conviction alongside former Philadelphia City Councilmember Bobby Henon, whom Schmehl sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison earlier this year.

Jurors will resume their deliberations Wednesday morning.