Jury deliberations begin in Stevens’s trial

The jury has begun considering the criminal case against Sen. Ted Stevens that will determine the Alaska Republican’s future.

A conviction on charges that he knowingly concealed lavish gifts from an Alaska oil tycoon would almost certainly end the longest-serving Republican senator’s political career. An acquittal would put Stevens back on the campaign trail in time to make his case for another term.

{mosads}"The case is yours," said Judge Emmet G. Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, after instructing the jury Wednesday morning for more than one hour on how to evaluate the case.

To convict Stevens, the jurors must reach a unanimous decision on felony charges that Stevens intentionally made false statements on his Senate disclosure forms. Stevens, 84, has pleaded not guilty to knowingly and willfully concealing more than $250,000 worth of gifts and free home renovations from former Veco Corp. head Bill Allen and other friends.

The 12-person jury evaluating the case consists of eight women and four men. Ten of the 12 jurors are black, one is a white woman and the other is a young Hispanic man.

The case will likely turn on whether the jurors believe Stevens's defense that he didn't want and was unaware of gifts he received from Allen, or whether Allen was giving credible testimony that he gave Stevens gifts and the senator was covering himself in asking for bills.

"You are the sole judges of the facts," Sullivan told the jury. "It is your duty to convict if you’re convinced beyond a reasonable doubt."

Sullivan told the jurors that they must not consider evidence from a 1999 transaction in which Allen gave Stevens a brand-new $44,000 Land Rover in exchange for $5,000 in cash and a 1964 Mustang worth no more than $20,000. He also said that the timesheets of two Veco employees who worked on the home remodeling project must not be considered as evidence.

Those pieces of evidence were stricken because the government violated the judge's order to give Stevens's defense team relevant information before the case began.

Also, the judge struck evidence relating to a boxing bag, gift bags and guns Stevens received as gifts, saying "it has no relevance to the case."

But the jury will still consider a mountain of evidence, including whether Allen paid some $188,000 for Stevens's home remodeling project, and whether he failed to disclose that information publicly.