Jury in Hamilton trial says it is deadlocked
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 11/21/07
BY CHARLES WEBSTER I
NEWARK The jury in the corruption trial of former Asbury Park
councilman John Hamilton has told the judge it is unable to reach a
verdict.
"We have decided that will will not come to a unanimous decision on
any of the counts," said a note delivered from the jury to U.S.
District Court Judge Jose Linares.
An earlier note to Linares asked what would be the case if the jury
came to an agreement on some, but not all, of the charges.
The second note, however, said they were deadlocked.
The panel of six men and six women began deliberating shortly before
10 a.m. Tuesday and finished the day without a verdict.
Hamilton has been charged with offering public, no-bid contracts to
a demolition contractor a role played by FBI informant
Robert "Duke" Steffer in return for having a driveway installed at
his home. Steffer was working for the FBI as an undercover
informant, and his conversations with Hamilton were recorded.
Steffer played a pivotal role in the investigation, culminating in
the arrests in 2005 of more than a dozen public officials and
vendors in the Monmouth County political corruption probe
dubbed "Operation Bid Rig."
Authorities had Steffer pose as a corrupt contractor and loan shark
in dealings with public officials in Monmouth County and several
towns between 2001 and 2004.
Hamilton is accused of accepting a bribe and bartering to get a
driveway installed at his home in 2001; in exchange, authorities
say, Hamilton was to steer municipal contracts to Steffer's
fictitious company. Hamilton pleaded not guilty to the charges
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