Finchs Rebuttal to Prosecutors Opposition to Acquittal
Federal Judge Mark Walker now has everything he needs to issue a ruling on whether or not acquit defendant James Finch based on the evidence presented at trial. Federal Rule 29 requires the Court to acquit a defendant if there’s not enough evidence for a conviction.
A Rule 29 motion can only be filed immediately following the prosecution’s closing arguments, and then again within 14 days of a trial’s conclusion. Judge Walker denied Finch’s first attempt, telling prosecutors that the case narrowly survived based on scant evidence. Both counts of bribery resulted in a hung jury, and the Court declared a mistrial on March 16.
The retrial is scheduled for July 17.
