Milan jury reaches verdict on 16 charges

By FRANK KUMMER,CLINT RILEYand RENEE WINKLER
Courier-Post Staff
CAMDEN

Jurors reached a unanimous verdict on 16 of 19 federal corruption charges against Mayor Milton Milan on Wednesday, but were sent home when they could not agree on the remaining charges.

The 12 jurors gave no indication whether they had found Milan guilty or innocent on the 16 charges, or whether they were hopelessly deadlocked on the others.

U.S. District Court Judge Joel Pisano sent the jurors home at their request at 5 p.m., an hour after the panel told the judge about the stalemate.

The jury will return this morning for a seventh day - one of the longest deliberations local courtroom observers can remember.

Milan remained upbeat after the jury went home.

"I feel good every day I'm above ground," the mayor said outside the federal courthouse.

When asked how he planned to sleep tonight knowing the jury was close to a decision, Milan shot back: "With plenty of blankets."

Milan's attorney, Carlos A. Martir Jr., said it would be folly to conclude that jurors had found Milan guilty.

"One should never assume he's been convicted of anything," Martir said.

"We're prepared to accept their verdict," Martir also said. "That's what we've been waiting for."

A swell of people rushed the third-floor courtroom when word came that jurors had reached some decision on Wednesday afternoon.

Among them was Robert J. Cleary, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, who announced the government's indictment in March. Federal prosecutors have refused to comment on the case until a verdict is delivered.

New Jersey Attorney General John Farmer Jr. and other state officials have said they are prepared to seek Milan's immediate removal from office if he is convicted of any or all charges. Under state law, an elected official convicted of a felony can be forced from office by court order.

Among other accusations, Milan, 38, is charged with taking payoffs from the mob, extorting a political contribution and laundering $65,000 in drug proceeds in a loan from a drug dealer. He also allegedly staged a burglary at his former business, using campaign funds to pay for a lavish trip to Puerto Rico and using contractors doing city business to perform free work on his East Camden home.

The first sign jurors were having trouble came at 9:30 a. m. Wednesday when they sent Pisano a note asking if they could issue a verdict on just some of the charges.

Pisano told the jurors that a partial verdict would be allowed, but only if they had exhausted hope of reaching a unanimous decision on all counts.

The jury previously has reviewed testimony of all key government witnesses and videotaped evidence, suggesting it has spent considerable time on almost all charges.

On Wednesday, jurors asked for the testimony of Robert Casey Sr., former owner of Delaware River Recycling in Camden, and Dennis Turner, a city economic development official who worked for Milan.

Casey testified during the trial about free work his company performed at the mayor's home in Camden, including the removal of tree stumps and a garage. Turner testified about a letter he wrote at Milan's direction recommending that Casey's firm receive approval from county and state officials for an expansion project.

Pisano denied jurors' request for a copy of former Philadelphia/South Jersey mob boss Ralph Natale's plea agreement with the federal government, which was never entered into evidence at the mayor's trial. Under the arrangement, Natale agreed to testify against Milan.

During three days on the witness stand, Natale, 65, said that he paid Milan thousands of dollars through an intermediary in hopes of winning city contracts for mob- backed firms.

Pisano said the jury would be allowed to break for the Christmas holiday if it ran out of time this week.