Jury resumes work in former congresswoman’s fraud trial

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Jurors will return for another day of deliberations in the fraud and tax evasion trial of former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown.

The jury will return Thursday, a day after the judge excused on panel member who made comments about Brown and “higher beings.” That juror was replaced by an alternate, and the jury had to start its deliberations over again Wednesday morning.

Prosecutors say Brown, a Democrat who represented the Florida district that included Jacksonville since 1993, funneled money from One Door for Education into her personal accounts.

She has pleaded not guilty, blaming her former chief of staff Elias “Ronnie” Simmons for stealing.