The Nation : Judge Denies Mistrial in Wedtech Case

Jurors in the New York trial of attorney E. Robert Wallach on racketeering charges were unable to reach a verdict after a fourth day of deliberations and one juror was dismissed because of illness, prompting defense attorneys to call for a mistrial. U.S. District Judge Richard Owen denied the mistrial motion and instructed the 11 remaining jurors to continue their deliberations today. Wallach, 55, a close friend of former U.S. Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III, is charged with two others in an alleged scheme to extract almost $2 million in illegal payoffs and payments from Wedtech Corp., a now-defunct defense contractor. The other defendants are W. Franklyn Chinn, Meese’s former financial adviser and R. Kent London, a Chinn business associate.