KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – A federal judge declared a mistrial Wednesday in the case of a former University of Tennessee researcher charged with hiding his relationship with a Chinese university while receiving research grants from the federal government.
U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan’s ruling came after jurors notified the judge they were at an “impasse,” WBIR-TV reported.
It was not immediately clear whether the government would try to prosecute Anming Hu again.
A defense motion to throw the case out is pending before Varlan. Defense attorney Phil Lomonaco had attacked the case as flimsy, misguided and political.
Deliberations began Monday, and jurors took Tuesday off before continuing Wednesday. They sent a note to Varlan Wednesday afternoon after they were unable to reach a verdict.