Local News in Brief : No Villagran Verdict
A federal jury ended its first day of deliberations Friday without a verdict in the bank fraud case of former starlet Dovie Beams de Villagran, the self-declared ex-mistress of toppled Philippine ruler Ferdinand Marcos.
The panel began its discussions on 42 felony counts after a two-week trial in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles but went home without a verdict. They were to resume deliberations Monday. If convicted on all counts, Villagran faces a maximum punishment of 141 years in prison and $10.5 million in fines.
The jury must decide whether Villagran, 55, got $18 million in loans from 13 banks between 1983 and 1986 by submitting bogus tax forms and financial statements to inflate the worth of businesses and properties she and her husband controlled.
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