Paul Manafort trial: Jury asks judge what to do if they can't come to consensus in case against former Trump campaign head

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The trial case against Paul Manafort over money laundering and tax evasion has entered jury deliberations. Kevin Johnson reports from Alexandria, Va.
USA TODAY

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A federal court jury in the financial fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort sent a note to the judge Tuesday suggesting they might be having trouble coming to a consensus on at least one count. 

The note asked the judge what they should do if they can’t come to a unanimous decision on a single count. It’s not uncommon for jurors to have a split decision, coming to a consensus on some counts and not others.

But it’s unclear whether the jury had come to a conclusion on the other counts as they asked about just a single count of the 18 criminal charges laid against Manafort.

In the note, the jury asked: “If we cannot come to a consensus on a single count, how do we fill out the jury verdict form for that count?”

“And what would that mean to the final verdict?”

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III reconvened the panel in open court and urged them to continue an attempt to reach a “unanimous” decision on all counts.

In his instruction, Ellis reminded jurors that they are the ultimate judges in the case.

“You are not partisans,” Ellis told them, adding that “your sole mission is to seek the truth.”

Outside the presence of the jury, Ellis said that if the panel still cannot come to a decision, he will ask whether they have reached a decision on the other counts and then “consider” accepting that verdict.

“This is not uncommon,” Ellis told the attorneys.

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This courtroom sketch depicts Rick Gates, right, answering questions by prosecutor Greg Andres as he testifies in the trial of Paul Manafort, seated second from left, at the Alexandria Federal Courthouse in Alexandria, Va., Aug. 6, 2018. U.S. district Judge T.S. Ellis III presides as Manafort attorney’s including Kevin Downing, left, Thomas Zehnle, third from left, listen. Dana Verkouteren, APThis courtroom sketch depicts Paul Manafort, seated right row second from right, together with his lawyers, the jury, seated left, and the U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III, back center, listening to Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye, standing, during opening arguments in the trial of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman Manafort’s on tax evasion and bank fraud charges on July 31, 2018. Dana Verkouteren, AP

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Five key points that could sway the jury in Paul Manafort’s trial — and determine his fate

More: Paul Manafort trial by the numbers: 27 witnesses, 18 charges and a potential 305 years in prison

More: Manafort trial: Why ‘reasonable doubt’ is hard to define in courtrooms

During the trial, prosecutors sought to cast Manafort as a serial “liar” in a years-long scheme to hide millions of dollars in 31 foreign bank accounts and obtain millions more in a series of fraudulent bank loans. They offered documents and witnesses who testified that Manafort lied about his income and debt while seeking bank loans and directed his associates to doctor documents. 

Prosecutors displayed in sometimes painstaking details the lavish life Manafort led, hoping to showcase he was living beyond his means and using money from the fraudulent loans to pay for his homes, expensive cars and luxurious closet filled with tailored suits. 

Photos of the suits and jackets were released to the public during the trial, including one depicting a $15,000 ostrich jacket. 

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Here are the lavish items Paul Manafort owns — including a $15,000 ostrich jacket — that are now evidence against him

More: Paul Manafort will face second trial next month and prosecutors have double the evidence

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