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Irfan Khan / Pool via Getty Images
Five former Bell City Council members, shown in court on Wednesday, were found guilty of stealing public money by paying themselves extraordinary salaries in one of Los Angeles County's poorest cities. On Thursday, a mistrial was declared on the remaining counts.
A mistrial was declared Thursday afternoon on the remaining charges against five former Bell elected officials.
Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy had asked jurors to decide whether further deliberations would help break a deadlock on the remaining charges.
The judge noted, however, that based on a flurry of testy communications from the panel, "It seems to me that all hell has broken loose in the jury deliberation room."
Read more on NBCLosAngeles.com
The defendants had been convicted of counts related to the city’s Solid Waste and Recycling Authority, but acquitted on counts related to the Public Housing Authority.
The jury had deadlocked on 42 charges related to pay for service on two additional boards.
On Wednesday, the jury had reached the following conclusions:
- Ex-mayor Oscar Hernandez: guilty on five counts; not guilty on five counts. No verdict on 10 counts.
- Former Councilwoman Teresa Jacobo: guilty on five counts; not guilty on five counts. No verdict on 10 counts.
- Former Councilman George Mirabal: guilty on five counts; not guilty on five counts. No verdict on 10 counts.
- Former Councilman Victor Bello: guilty on four counts; not guilty on four counts. No verdict on eight counts.
- Former Councilman George Cole: guilty of two counts; not guilty on two counts. No verdict on four counts.
Former Councilman Luis Artiga was acquitted on all charges.
Related: Multiple guilty verdicts in Bell, Calif., corruption trial
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Put these scumbag officials in prison and seize all their bank accounts and properties... stealing from the taxpayer will not be tolerated EVER !
There had better be a NEW TRIAL.
Yes, you're right. They used Bell taxpayers money as their own ATM machine.
At least I live in a civilized State where people agree and disagree when on jury duty with decency toward each other and even the person(s) on trial. I've sat on several juries and they were all good discussions with people being kind to each other and generally agreeing with each other. I've never been saddled with a jury that was hung. However, the one jury I sat on in California was a zoo, with more name calling than between the Republicans and Democrats.
Mr. jackieboy, which civilized State is that? There are jury members who are very nice to each other but can be racist and sexist towards the accused...sometimes putting innocent people in jail, or giving them unfair sentences. Sometime jury members are civil and polite with each other, but not very smart and appropriately critical of what they hear..which is how shoddy sloppy trials get through.
There is a big difference between "a nice jury" and "a sincere jury". There is a difference between "a nice jury" and "a smart jury". There is a difference between "a nice jury" and "an efficient jury". There is a difference between "a nice jury" and "a fair jury". You know what I mean?
I know a lot of people who are very nice but are stupid, biased (and not know it), prejudiced, sexist, classist, racist, ignorant, inefficient, incompetent and unkind.
There are lot of people in the Midwest who mistake niceness for goodness, fairness or efficiency, and there are lot of people in New York who mistake shouting for discussion, debate and a relevant discourse..
Both are wrong!
I figured something would happen to call a mistrial on the entire proceedings. Just wouldn't do to find politicians guilty of wholesale embezzlement from the mayor on down of taxpayer money, paying themselves high salaries and such.
It would set a bad precedent for other politicians to be prosecuted. Just waiting for this entire case to be thrown out.
The best defense excuse I've ever heard came out of this trial.... "I was too uneducated and didn't understand English well enough to know it was illegal to pay myself that much money, Your Honor!"
They can be sentenced on all the guilty counts, and re-tried on all the undecided counts. Not a bad result, really. Drag it out and make them spend the ill-gotten gains on legal fees. For the next trial, they can be brought from their prison cells for the proceedings.
Makes one wonder if certain jury members have been tampered with AND/OR they are not smart enough to make intelligent judgments on a number of perhaps more complex counts....just wondering....
There are probably several million more people that are wondering the same.
Sure, a jury of one's peers....
CactusJack...you may not be that wrong in your suspicions! This happens a lot in small towns where politics is full of cronies, corrupt people and con artists who pay crooks, victims or middle men to get things done. This is not unusual in the South where powerful guys, rich guys and well connected good ole boys run the system! They are not "good ole boys"...they are "bad ole boys"! And it would be easy to tamper with the jury. You ask a guy of a guy of a guy of a guy to pay few thousand dollars to some of these people...and make them rule for or against to create a hung jury that will easily dismiss the case. I saw a movie on this...and it was based on some true events.
Saved by the 'BELL'..ding..its a draw!
Once again we prove the old theory that only stupid people get to be jurors.
This could have been prevented if these thieves would had been tried in another county.
Certainly shows that the jury system in very complicated cases is of little worth. Complicated cases like this need to be held in front of a panel of a judge and other experts in bureaucracy and city corporation law.
First, investigate all jurors from the mistrial jury and prosecute any malfeasance. Then: Refile. Prosecute. Sequester jury. Monitor all new jurors for potential bribery and/or undue influence. Repeat as necessary.
I can see '' REPUBLICAN INFLUENCE '' written all over their faces.
Mexicans ruling on Mexicans, much like OJ trial! they got off! no kidding, likely most were illegals, and they too got kick backs. or were related.