Second round of potential jurors questioned in Jimmy Dimora federal corruption trial

AKRON, Ohio - A new batch of 51 potential jurors fielded questions from Judge Sara Lioi as the second day of jury selection began Thursday morning in the federal corruption trial of former Cuyahoga County Commissioner, Jimmy Dimora, and co-defendant Michael Gabor.

Members of the jury pool were quizzed on their knowledge about individuals on a list of 139 potential witnesses and 71 persons whose names could be brought up in the trial. A list of 36 organizations and entities was also presented for potential jurors to identify conflicts.

Names on the lists include a wide range of local and county government administrators, judges and officials already convicted in the extensive federal corruption probe.

Prior to the jury pool being brought into the courtroom around 8:45 a.m., Judge Lioi said one female from the jury pool told court officials on Wednesday she was not coming back to the court and attempts to reach her by phone were unsuccessful. The judge said two others in the jury pool are also not responding and the court would address the conduct of these three jurors at a later time.

At the opening of the hearing, Lioi ruled that a double jeopardy motion and subsequent appeal by Dimora defense attorney, William Whitaker, were "frivilous." Lioi said there was no jeopardy attached to the case and the case would not be halted as requested by the defense.

Judge Lioi also addressed a fairness argument by defense counsel, telling attorney William Whitaker that the defense was not entitled to the work product of federal prosecutors. Lioi also questioned the timing of the defense counsel's motion, the latest of multiple references by Lioi about the timeliness of defense counsel filing of documents.

Federal prosecutor, Ann Rowland, also asked Judge Lioi to address the late evening filing of court motions by the defense, saying the timing of such filings created a delay in receipt of the information by federal prosecutors. Defense counsel agreed to provide federal prosecutors with hard copies of filings in a reasonable time after they are filed.

Earlier in the morning, Dimora and a television news cameraman collided in what one observer described as an unintended "squeeze play" as Dimora approached the courthouse plaza. Dimora claimed the camera hit him but multiple observers dispute the claim.

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