San Diego

For the first time in three days of deliberations, the jury in the fraud and tax-evasion trial of Nancy Hoover Hunter assembled Friday morning in the courtroom of U. S. District Judge Earl B. Gilliam, who attempted to answer two questions posed by the panel.

After a 30-minute hearing involving the attorneys from both sides, Gilliam took the jury into the courtroom and told jury members that they could not use a dictionary during their deliberations.

“I can’t allow you to to take a dictionary into the jury room,” said Gilliam, who advised jurors to send a note into court whenever they are confused.

A note from jury foreman Russell Litchfield of El Cajon asked the judge if the members of the panel could use a dictionary in an attempt to unscramble some of the legal jargon contained in the 40-page indictment against Hunter and in the 72 pages of jury instructions.

The seven-woman, five-man jury began deliberations on 197 charges against Hunter on Tuesday morning.

Hunter, 51, is charged with being a key player in the giant J. David & Co. Ponzi scheme, which defrauded about 1,200 investors out of $80 million.

With the easy question about the dictionary out of the way, Gilliam then tried to please both government prosecutors and Hunter’s defense attorney as he explained the intricacies of the one count of conspiracy against Hunter.