Judge declares mistrial in ACC-Johnson Utilities bribery case
by Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services
A federal judge declared a mistrial Tuesday in the Arizona Corporation Commission bribery case.
The move came after all 12 jurors told Judge John Tuchi they were “hopelessly deadlocked” in their efforts to reach a verdict in the case. Tuchi concluded that it made no sense to tell them to go and try again.
Tuesday’s action is at least an intermediate victory for former utility regulator Gary Pierce, who was accused of accepting a bribe from water company owner George Johnson in exchange for his vote on two issues. It means some jurors did not believe the government proved its case that the pair were guilty of bribery and fraud.
Related: Majority of jurors in bribery trial voted for acquittal
