Ryan Judge Huddles With Lawyers, Topic A Mystery

ASSOCIATED PRESS
April 11, 2006

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan's lawyers huddled with the judge and prosecutors in his corruption trial for three hours Tuesday morning and left court with the topic of the discussion still a mystery.

The closed-door conference sent a fresh wave of speculation through the area of the courthouse known informally as Camp Ryan - home to reporters who have been doing little but sitting for weeks and waiting for a verdict.

But U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer left the courthouse over the lunch hour and was soon followed out the door by lawyers for the onetime Republican power-broker and his friend and co-defendant, businessman Larry Warner.

Earlier, U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald was spotted in a hall near Pallmeyer's chambers and Assistant U.S. Attorney Debra R. Bonamici, who specialized in drawing up the 148 pages of jury instructions, arrived in the judge's chambers at midmorning to join the meeting.

But the parties remained strictly mum under a gag order imposed by Pallmeyer weeks ago.

Reporters were left to interview a Corner Bakery delivery man who said he took 15 sandwiches to the jury room. Asked about the mood of the jury, he said, ``They were hungry.''

Once they finished lunch, the jurors resumed deliberations, court officials said.

Ryan, 72, and Warner, 67, are charged in a 22-count federal indictment with racketeering, mail fraud and other offenses. It says Ryan steered state contracts and leases to Warner and other well-connected insiders and was rewarded in turn with valuable gifts and free vacations.

Ryan and Warner say nothing they did was illegal.

The morning meeting looked important. On hand were Ryan's chief defense counsel, Dan K. Webb, Warner's chief defense counsel, Edward M. Genson, and a number of other defense lawyers.

The presence of Fitzgerald in the area also suggested something major. Whatever it was, though, no facts were made public.

Two weeks ago, Pallmeyer replaced two jurors with alternates. At the time she said she would not declare a mistrial despite turmoil on the jury but might do so if she sensed anything unfair about the continued deliberations.

Tuesday was the eighth day of deliberations for the reconstituted jury.

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