The Nation - News from Aug. 27, 1989

A Manhattan federal court jury deliberated more than eight hours before breaking for the day after they received the case of Leona Helmsley, who is accused of avoiding taxes by charging personal expenses to her hotel business. The jurors, who are sequestered, planned to return this morning. During the deliberations, Helmsley chatted with her lawyers and the reporters covering the trial. She appeared relaxed and smiled frequently. Helmsley, 69, has been on trial for eight weeks on charges she evaded $1.2 million in federal taxes by charging personal expenses, including renovations at her Connecticut estate, to her businesses. She and her husband, Harry, oversee a $5-billion hotel and real estate empire, and she has been called the “hotel queen.”