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Jury Deliberations Continue in $6.7M Charter School Fraud Case

By Steve Tawa

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The jury in a charter school fraud case in Philadelphia will return to its deliberations in the morning, with the potential of losing some jurors by Friday.

As the deliberations drag on, Federal Court Judge Barclay Surrick has now given jurors instructions on how to fashion a partial verdict.

The judge told jurors if they reach unanimous agreement on some of the charges, they could return a verdict on those charges, then continue deliberating on the others. But it would be final, and they would not be able to change their minds later on.

They are sifting through more than 60-counts lodged against June Brown and her two co-defendants (See Related Story).

He also gave jurors the option of waiting until the end of their deliberations, and returning all of their verdicts then.

With the holidays approaching, at least two jurors have told the court that they have conflicts and compelling reasons that could prevent them from returning on Friday, if deliberations continue that long.

That's why they have alternate jurors in the wings, but not yet engaged. If one or more alternates are needed, deliberations would have to start from scratch.

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