Lord Black jury finishes 11th day

It is now two full days since Judge Amy St Eve told them to keep trying after they had admitted they were having difficulty coming to an agreement.

Lord Black faces 13 charges ranging from fraud to obstruction of justice.

They relate to the UK peer's tenure as chief executive of newspaper publisher Hollinger International.

He is accused of stealing $60m (£29.5m) from Hollinger's shareholders.

Canadian-born Conrad Black, 62, is on trial with three other former Hollinger directors, Jack Boultbee, 64, Peter Atkinson, 60, and Mark Kipnis, 59.

CONRAD BLACK

• 1944: Born Montreal, Canada on 25 August
• 1966: Buys his first Canadian newspaper, the Eastern Townships Advertiser
• 1986: Buys the UK's Daily Telegraph
• 1992: Marries his second wife, Canadian journalist Barbara Amiel
• 2001: Conrad Black ennobled as Lord Black of Crossharbour
• 2003: Attacked by shareholders Black resigns as Hollinger International chief executive
• 2005: Indicted for fraud, obstruction of justice, and racketeering in the Chicago Federal Court
• 2007: His criminal trial starts in Chicago

They are accused of stealing the money to fund their opulent lifestyles, which in the case of Lord Black is said to have included gala parties for his wife, a private jet, and a luxury apartment in New York.

The jury's note on Tuesday said: "We have discussed and deliberated on all the evidence and are still unable to reach a unanimous verdict on one or more counts".

Asking Judge St Eve for advice, they said they had read their instructions very carefully.

Although she asked them to try again to come to agreement, she also urged them not to change their minds solely "for the purpose of returning a unanimous verdict".

The judge added that in the past she had sent juries back to continue deliberating two or three times.

Lord Black's 13 charges include 11 for fraud, one count of obstruction of justice, and one of racketeering.

Partial verdict rules

Under US criminal law, the judge cannot accept a majority verdict.

However, she can accept a partial verdict, whereby she can let the jury declare unanimous verdict on individual counts.

Those counts on which they agree will then stand, while any charges they cannot agree on will count as a mistrial.

Any charges they cannot agree on can then go to a fresh trial if the prosecution so chooses.

Lord Black faces a possible 91-year jail sentence if found guilty of all charges.

Hollinger International used to own such newspapers as the UK's Daily Telegraph and Israel's Jerusalem Post.

The company sold both titles after the removal of Lord Black, and the name of the company has since been changed to Sun-Times News Group.

Its last remaining large newspaper is the Chicago Sun-Times.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Sun Times Media
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites