Jefferson trial likely to be long

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Washington bureau
• Published: Jun 22, 2009 - Page: 1A

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WASHINGTON – Before they rest their case in the bribery trial of former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, government prosecutors said they intend to call 49 witnesses.

In addition, they plan to introduce 950 exhibits. And then there are hours of secretly recorded audio tapes.

The trial begins its second week of testimony this morning.
The prosecutors said that it will take four weeks to present their side. Legal scholars tracking the case say the overwhelming amount of evidence is strategic.

“What the government tries to do is throw the book and hope something sticks,” LSU law Professor John Baker said.

But what if the wave of evidence is too much for the jury?

“It certainly presents a challenge for them,” Loyola University law Professor Dane Ciolino said of the prosecution. “They have to keep the jury interested.”

The eight-woman, four-man panel hse already indicated in the first week of the trial that it will need materials to help them keep track. Prosecutors used a poster board chart during opening statements showing pictures of many of the people named in the case.

They also used a PowerPoint presentation to list the 16 charges that Jefferson faces including bribery, conspiracy, money laundering and racketeering.

Jurors asked U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III if they could have the material to keep in the jury room. Ellis denied the request saying that the aids are not evidence and were only used to help the jury during opening.

With the rebuttal by the defense, the case is expected to last six weeks. Ellis said he has never presided over a trial that long in his 22-year career on the bench. In closing last week’s proceeding, Ellis issued a warning to government lawyers.

“You have to consider that these individuals are going to get impatient,” Ellis said.

If jurors needed a visual clue of how complicated the case is, they got it last week. Prosecutors wheeled in four carts that contained about 50 two-inch-thick black binders and eight boxes of files.

Jurors have already heard some tapes of conversations between the parties in the case. The recordings add some excitement and intrigue, said Loyola University law professor Dane Ciolino.