The Verdict Form in United States v. Nacchio, No. 05-cr-00545 (D. Colo. Apr. 19, 2007), runs 12 pages. It includes 42 findings, each in the same format:
We, the jury, upon our oaths, unanimously find the defendant, JOSEPH P. NACCHIO, in count [number] of the indictment:
____ Guilty
____ Not Guilty
The jury indicated its answers with Xs instead of check marks.
Anyone who has sat at counsel table as a jury announced its verdict can imagine the gut wrenching that Mr. Nacchio, former Qwest CEO, and his lawyers felt last Thursday, April 19. You recall your own existential angst and your unconsciousness of time and painful alertness.
Mr. Nacchio’s tension may have relaxed a little for the first six pages, as he heard a streak of 23 "Not Guilty" findings. But then came Count 24. The intonations of "Guilty" kept coming until Count 42 and the end.
The reading of the Verdict Form took a few minutes, but it started Mr. Nacchio on a correctional journey that may last the rest of his life.
Barry Barnett
