No verdict in Kenyatta Johnson trial after second day of jury deliberations
The panel will reconvene Monday to resume discussions of the bribery charges against the Philadelphia City Council member.
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The federal jury deliberating the fates of Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson and his wife, Dawn Chavous, ended its second day of discussions Thursday without reaching a verdict.
“We know how hard you are working,” U.S. District Judge Gerald A. McHugh told the panel of eight men and four women, who have been deliberating the case for roughly 11 hours over two days. “It’s a challenge deliberating in complex cases. All that we ask is that you continue.”
Jurors will resume discussions Monday, as the judge had previously said he would not hold court Friday in observance of the Good Friday and Passover holidays.
» READ MORE: As it happened: Philly councilmember awaits his fate as jury deliberates in bribery trial
McHugh said he would start next week with an answer to a question the jurors sent just before their dismissal: “Does failing to disclose a fact — such as a marriage —” constitute a knowing intent to defraud under the statute defining honest services fraud, the crime with which Johnson and his wife are charged?
Many of the witnesses who testified at trial — including members of Johnson’s Council staff — said they were unaware that Chavous held a consulting contract with Universal Companies, a South Philadelphia nonprofit, even as Johnson tasked them to work on items related to the nonprofit’s real estate holdings.
Prosecutors have alleged that Chavous’ nearly $67,000 contract was a sham meant to funnel bribe money to the councilmember in order to persuade him to back Universal in various issues involving its real estate holdings that had come before the city’s government.
They contend that Johnson’s failure to disclose his wife’s business relationship with Universal while he was working on issues that benefited the nonprofit is evidence of his guilt.
» READ MORE: Kenyatta Johnson trial: Day-by-day updates for federal bribery case
Johnson and Chavous have denied the allegations and insist that they never brought it up because her consulting work had nothing to do with his decision-making.
They and their two codefendants — Universal’s former CEO Rahim Islam and ex-CFO Shahied Dawan — face two counts each of honest services wire fraud, a crime punishable by up to 20 years should they be convicted.
Keep up with every development in Kenyatta Johnson’s case with our day-by-day recaps, live coverage, and explainer on everything you need to know about the case.