![]() attorney for the Northern District of Florida, was expected to make the final call, possibly in consultation with the FBI, which conducted the years-long "Capital Currency" investigation into Gillum and others. Retrying a case is doable, but it has its problems." "I’m not going to speak for the federal government," she said, “but they’ve got to really think this over. It’s tougher when the reverse is true, said Peress. IN HIS OWN WORDS: Here's what Andrew Gillum has said about ethics allegations, FBI probeīefore prosecutors announced they were dropping the case, Diane Peress, a former state and federal prosecutor in New York who teaches law at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told the Democrat the decision to retry is easier when juries vote heavily to convict but are prevented by one or two jurors. It voted 10-2 not guilty for Lettman-Hicks on 10 counts 9-3 not guilty on the others. Several of the jurors, including two who spoke with the Tallahassee Democrat, wrote in their public statement that the jury voted 10-2 not guilty for Gillum on all counts. "But our intention right now at least off the cuff is that we’re going to proceed forward with a second trial."īut that exchange happened before the government or defense knew exactly how the jury voted during their secret deliberations. "We’ll obviously discuss it," Assistant U.S. He then asked the government about its next steps. ![]() Watch Video: Timeline of FBI investigation in Tallahassee (updated June 2021) Prosecutor's 'off-the-cuff' intention was to proceed with a retrialĪfter the jury announced its decision, Winsor declared a mistrial on the conspiracy and fraud counts and adjudicated Gillum not guilty on the false statements charge. In a Gillum retrial, it’s given prosecutors would have changed the narrative given that half their case - involving the false statements charge and the then-mayor’s interactions with undercover FBI agents - was off the table. Retrials also offer prosecutors a chance to retool and refocus their case. “Defendants not only gain comprehensive knowledge of the government’s case, but they gain material with which to impeach them in the second case.” “Retrials can be quite complicated,” Daniel Richman, a professor at Columbia Law School and former federal prosecutor in New York, said days before the dismissal. Several jurors later anonymously announced that the 12-person panel voted heavily in favor of acquittal but that two “biased” jurors prevented a unanimous decision.įederal prosecutors faced distinct tactical disadvantages were they to proceed with a retrial. On May 4, after a nearly three-week trial, jurors acquitted Gillum on a single count of making false statements but couldn’t reach a verdict on 18 other conspiracy and wire fraud counts against both defendants. The acquittal, partial mistrial, and outright dismissal marked a major defeat for the government and its long-running and costly Operation Capital Currency investigation, which saw undercover FBI agents posing as crooked developers descend on Tallahassee starting in 2015. View Gallery: Verdict reached in Andrew Gillum's corruption trial | Photos Jury: Andrew Gillum not guilty of lying to FBI ![]() Andrew has endured a lot over the past few years and now can resume his life and public service.”ĪNDREW GILLUM CASE: Former Florida mayor not guilty of lying to FBI, jury deadlocks on other charges And that is finally being recognized," his defense attorneys David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss and Katie Miller said in a statement. "We want to thank the hard-working jury who did their job and explained to the government why it should drop the case. “Andrew Gillum had the courage to stand up and say I am innocent. District Judge Allen Winsor must issue an order completely dismissing the case. And after five days of deliberations earlier this month, jurors found Gillum not guilty of lying to the FBI about gifts he had received from undercover FBI agents in New York.īefore the move is official, U.S. The government did not comment on the move, which came after the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that jurors overwhelmingly favored acquitting the two and urged prosecutors to drop the case.Ĭharges against Gillum, the 2018 Democratic nominee for governor and former Tallahassee, Florida mayor, and his longtime advisor, Lettman-Hicks, involved the misuse of campaign funds. ![]() District court, the government "respectfully moves that this court dismiss the indictment against the Defendants Andrew Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks." Federal prosecutors in the Andrew Gillum corruption case are moving to dismiss charges against the former Florida mayor and his political mentor. Watch Video: Andrew Gillum speaks to press after not guilty verdict ![]()
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