Kevin Ring Trial: Jury reaches a decision on one charge

The jury for Kevin Ring decided Tuesday to keep secret its verdict on the one count for now after being directed by U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle to resume deliberations Wednesday.

The charge involves a payment of $5,000 to a credit union account controlled by the wife of former California Republican Rep. John Doolittle.

Ring is accused of providing thousands of dollars worth of drinks, meals and tickets to sporting events and concerts to the offices of two congressmen and to Justice Department officials over a four-year span.

On the still-undecided counts, jurors sent a note to the judge saying their deliberations had been contentious and that arguments had shown no sign of movement toward a verdict.

Huvelle told the jury that they were required to continue deliberations.

A jury was told Tuesday there were no legal limits on the dollar value of tickets and meals that lobbyists working with influence peddler Jack Abramoff could give to public officials.

How the trial will turn out, no one can know, but it is possible Ring will be found guilty on some counts but not others. In Judge Ellen Huvelle's instructions, the jury is specifically warned not to let the verdict on one count impact another.

"The fact that you may find the defendant guilty or not guilty on any one count of the indictment should not control or influence your verdict with respect to the other counts of the indictment," she said.