October 23, 2007

Judge Declares Mistrial In Holy Land Case

Disagreements over jury verdicts resulted in a Dallas judge handing a mistrial to five defendants connected to a Muslim charity. High-ranking officials in The Holy Land Foundation -- once the largest Muslim charity in the U.S. and a frequent target of FBI surveillance -- were accused of aiding terrorists and acting as an arm of Hamas.

The jury initially returned yesterday with a mix of not-guilty and deadlocked verdicts on the more than 200 combined charges ranging from tax fraud to providing material support for terrorism. But during routine polling of the jurors to determine that their votes were final, two female jurors spoke up and said their votes were not accurately reflected.

The forewoman of the jury said she couldn't explain the sudden reversal from the women; another juror said one of them had fallen asleep during deliberations and had been confused by the evidence in the monthslong trial.

The case then "collapsed into a tangle of legal confusion," as the Los Angeles Times puts it. "U.S. District Judge A. Joe Fish declared a mistrial, but not before it became clear that the government's landmark terrorism finance case -- and one of its most-costly post-9/11 prosecutions -- was in serious trouble."

It's a setback for the Department of Justice, which had poured resources into prosecuting the five men in the high-profile case, and it's unclear when or how prosecutors will pursue another trial. Supporters of the charity are viewing the mistrial as a victory.

The Times story has more details.

Posted at 7:58 AM
Posted to: Crime, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, Terrorism
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