His future is in the jury's hands

JURORS in the federal corruption trial of former state Sen. Vince Fumo and a longtime aide deliberated for several hours yesterday without reaching a verdict.

Jurors, who got the case yesterday morning, will resume Monday. They spent much of yesterday getting organized and picking a forewoman.

The deliberations are unusual, court officials said, for several reasons.

Jurors are being permitted to deliberate in the courtroom because of the massive amount of evidence. And they are also being permitted to use a laptop to view exhibits on video monitors in the courtroom.

There are more than 1,400 government exhibits and 200 defense exhibits. The exhibits have been downloaded to a disc.

U.S. District Judge Ronald L. Buckwalter agreed to provide the jury with a laptop to facilitate the viewing of exhibits in the courtroom after a juror made the request.

The laptop is outfitted with two software programs to permit jurors to open exhibits and listen to two radio interviews Fumo gave to Marty Moss-Coane on WHYY (FM-90.9) and Michael Smerconish on WPHT (AM-1210).

The laptop doesn't permit Internet access.

The actual exhibits are contained in at least 15 large boxes, crammed with legal-size papers.

Fumo and Ruth Arnao are charged with 137 and 45 counts, respectively, of conspiracy, fraud, obstruction of justice and related tax offenses. *