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Petters fraud trial delayed; jury selection to begin Monday
Jury selection in Petters' trial delayed until Monday.
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A federal judge overseeing the pending trial of Wayzata businessman Tom Petters on allegations that he orchestrated a multibillion-dollar Ponzi scheme has delayed jury selection until Monday because of unspecified scheduling issues.
Jury selection had been scheduled to begin today, with the estimated six-week trial beginning Monday. U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle said Wednesday at a pre-trial hearing that the fraud trial would begin in his St. Paul courtroom as soon as the jury could be seated. That could come as soon as Monday afternoon, but likely would be Tuesday morning.
Kyle and attorneys for the government and Petters will select 16 jurors from a pool of about 80. All have already filled out questionnaires about their background and knowledge of the case. Kyle said that on the basis of the answers on the questionnaires he believes he can get an unbiased jury.
Petters' attorneys twice have asked for a change of venue, citing a high volume of news articles about Petters and the charges against him. Kyle has denied their attempts to move the trial.
The jury will consist of 12 jurors and four alternates. Kyle said he decided to have four alternates instead of the customary two in case of a flu outbreak among jurors during the trial.
Petters, who built a liquidation business in electronics gear and other products before acquiring Polaroid and Sun Country Airlines, faces charges that he orchestrated a scheme to defraud investors out of more than $3.5 billion.
David Phelps • 612-673-7269
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