Jury selection in the Kenyatta Johnson bribery trial hits a snag and extends into a third day
U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh told a panel of prospective jurors that too few of them had returned to court after the selection process’ first day.
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Jury selection in the federal bribery trial of Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson will extend into a third day after the process hit what the judge described as an “unforeseen” snag Tuesday.
After spending roughly an hour huddled in chambers with lawyers on both sides of the case, U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh emerged and told a panel of prospective jurors that too few of them had returned to court after the selection process’ first day to seat a jury of 12 members and four alternates who will ultimately decide the councilmember’s fate.
» READ MORE: Kenyatta Johnson and Dawn Chavous bribery trial: What you need to know
He adjourned court for the day and sent the group of remaining potential jurors home, asking them to report back Wednesday. An additional pool of possible panelists will be interviewed that morning, the judge said, in hopes that the jury can be finalized and opening statements can begin by Wednesday afternoon.
The setback came a day after the court began the selection process with a pool of more than 80 potential jurors drawn from a nine-county region from Philadelphia, its suburbs, and outlying counties. McHugh had sent roughly half the panel home at the end of the day Monday after one-on-one interviews in his chambers.
» READ MORE: From a family tragedy to City Hall, how Kenyatta Johnson rose to power before his corruption trial
Prosecutors have accused Johnson of accepting more than $66,000 in bribes in the form of consulting work for his wife and codefendant, Dawn Chavous, in exchange for taking official action that benefited the real estate holdings of Universal Companies, a nonprofit in his South Philadelphia district.
They have denied the charges as have codefendants Rahim Islam and Shahied Dawan, two executives at Universal Companies, the nonprofit accused of paying the bribes.
» READ MORE: Kenyatta Johnson’s bribery trial starts today — the second for a city councilmember in a year
Jurors will be asked to arrive at two separate verdicts, first hearing the case against Johnson and Chavous, and then hearing separate allegations against Islam and Dawan on additional charges of embezzling from the charity and from a separate bribery scheme involving the former president of the Milwaukee school board.
Johnson and Chavous said little to the photographers and TV news cameras that surrounded them on their way in and out of court Tuesday.
After the day’s abrupt end, the councilmember tweeted a photo of himself next to the Harriet Tubman statue outside City Hall, thanking his supporters.