Voting-Fraud Jury Acquits One of 2 Blacks
Federal jurors Friday acquitted one of two black political activists accused of voting fraud, but said they were deadlocked on the case against his co-defendant.
The panel found Frederick Daniels, 47, innocent after deliberating more than 11 hours over two days. U.S. District Judge E. B. Haltom Jr. told the jurors to continue deliberating today in the case against Spiver Gordon, 46.
Both men are accused of altering absentee ballots in the September, 1984, Democratic primary and runoff in Greene County.
The trial is the fourth resulting from the Justice Department’s investigation of voting activities in five predominantly black counties in rural west-central Alabama.
Three Perry County black leaders were acquitted in July, and the other two trials ended with jurors unable to reach a verdict on two other Greene County defendants.be
The Justice Department investigation and the trials have prompted black political leaders, including Jesse Jackson, to accuse the Reagan Administration of conducting a witch hunt designed to intimidate black voters.
Federal prosecutors have denied such claims, and have said that some of the allegations came from black voters.
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