Jury in John Dougherty and Bobby Henon trial ends third day with no verdict. It will return next week.
There were few signs to indicate whether the seven women and five men deciding the case were making any progress.
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The jury weighing the fate of labor leader John Dougherty and Philadelphia City Councilmember Bobby Henon ended a third day of deliberations Friday without reaching a decision on the federal bribery charges both men face.
While the panel worked quietly for roughly six hours behind closed doors, Dougherty, Henon, their family, and their supporters milled about the 12th-floor courthouse hallway in nervous anticipation.
The jury’s silence throughout the day allowed small moments of levity — Henon joking outside the courtroom with supporters, Dougherty seated alone at the defense table, chatting amiably with Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Costello, the lead prosecutor who’s spent the past six weeks trying to convict him.
But there were few signs as to whether the seven women and five men deciding the case were making any progress.
» READ MORE: As it happened: Jury concludes third day of deliberations without reaching a verdict
They started the day with U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Schmehl repeating his jury instructions on the charge of honest services wire fraud — something the panel had asked for before leaving the day before.
They sent notes asking to review some exhibits, which Schmehl and the lawyers handled outside of open court.
And when — at roughly 4 p.m., about an hour earlier than their usual quitting time — they asked the judge if they could stop for the day and come back next week, their faces gave little away.
» READ MORE: Jurors are deliberating in the John Dougherty and Bobby Henon trial. Here are the key issues they’re weighing.
Leaving the courthouse with his team of lawyers moments later, Dougherty said he’s used to waiting.
“It’s been five years,” he said, referring to a series of 2016 FBI raids on his home and office that pushed the case into public view. “But it’s been longer than that.”
Prosecutors allege Dougherty bribed Henon with a $70,000-a-year union salary and other benefits — charges both men deny. They face multiple counts of conspiracy, honest services fraud and bribery — the most serious of which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years.
Keep up with every development in John Dougherty and Bobby Henon’s case with our day-by-day recaps, live coverage, and explainer on everything you need to know about the case.