Lucky Break?

In a trial marked by incompetence of the Government prosecutors, the discovery of a technical error could provide another boost for Alaska Sen. Stevens.

In a note Monday to Judge Emmet G. Sullivan, the jury reported it noticed an error in the second count of the indictment, which states that on his 2001 Senate financial disclosure forms, Stevens checked "no" in response to whether he received gifts of more than $260. But Stevens actually checked "yes" and listed a $1,100 gold Special Olympics coin as a gift that year. He did not list other gifts related to the charges... But the jurors noticed the discrepancy between the July indictment and the 2001 form and asked Sullivan how they should proceed.