Mistrial Declared in Jones Bribery Case
Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago)
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The bribery and corruption trial of Sen. Emil Jones III (D-Chicago) ended in mistrial Thursday after more than 24 hours of deliberations by the jury.
From Jon Seidel of the Chicago Sun-Times:
Illinois Sen. Emil Jones III said he’s looking forward “to another fight” after his federal bribery trial ended with a hung jury Thursday, sparing him from a conviction but not yet putting him in the clear.
While the South Side Democrat remains accused of bribery and lying to the FBI, the mistrial amounted to another setback for federal prosecutors at Chicago’s Dirksen Federal Courthouse. Three of the last four corruption trials there have ended without a conviction.
“We did as much due diligence as any jury could,” said one juror, who didn’t want to be named, in a text message to the Chicago Sun-Times. “A group of caring and highly educated people. In the end, some just didn’t feel there was a smoking gun.”
After declaring the mistrial, U.S. District Judge Andrea Wood scheduled a status hearing for June 10. That’s when lawyers are expected to discuss with her what should happen next.
Speaking briefly to reporters in the courthouse lobby, Jones said he wanted “to thank the process.”
“I want to thank the judge, thank the jury, thank the prosecution, and most importantly, thank my lawyers,” he said. “I look forward to another fight.”
Prosecutors say Jones agreed to protect red-light camera executive Omar Maani in the Illinois Senate in exchange for $5,000 and a job for a former intern of Jones. The ex-intern wound up being paid $1,800 by Maani despite doing no work. Jones had filed a bill in February 2019 that Maani saw as bad for business.
You really have to wonder if they’re going to try this again. I had doubts about the quality of the case as the evidence came out, and it certainly seems like conviction is going to be tough here.
