Jurors deadlocked in CSFB trial

THE trial of former investment banker Frank Quattrone is near collapse after the jury failed to agree on a verdict and told the judge that they did not think they would be able to reach a unanimous decision on any of the three charges.

US District Judge Richard Owen did not declare a mistrial and told the jurors to return on Friday and continue their deliberations, which will now enter their sixth day. It is the second time the jurors have told the judge they could not reach agreement.

Quattrone is charged with obstruction of justice and witness tampering for advising colleagues at Credit Suisse First Boston to destroy documents that might have been relevant to a grand jury investigation into the bank's share-issuing practices in 2000.

The jurors also asked for testimony to be read back to them concerning documents stored in Quattrone's banking unit and whether Quattrone himself had seen them.

This is the third time they have asked to review evidence, which suggests that a large degree of confusion or uncertainty remains. Lawyers say the longer the jury remains deadlocked, the less likely they are to reach a verdict.

On Wednesday, after a two-day recess, the judge urged the jury to do their best to reach a unanimous conclusion. Quattrone's lawyer, John Keker, has repeatedly urged the judge to declare a mistrial, but so far without success. The US attorney's office said earlier this week that it would press for a retrial if there was no verdict in this trial but some observers believe this is a risky course of action.