RALEIGH - Jurors in the criminal trial of Thomas E. Wright went home Friday without reaching a verdict on whether the former state representative committed fraud when his foundation received a bank loan and he put charitable contributions in his personal bank account.

The jury forewoman told Wake County Superior Court Judge Hight after 3 1/2 hours of deliberations that jurors hadn't decided any of the four counts against Wright. Hight told jurors to return Monday morning.

Wright, a Wilmington Democrat, is charged with pocketing $8,900 in donations to his Community's Health Foundation and fraudulently obtaining a $150,000 loan to buy a building to house health care offices and a museum commemorating Wilmington's 1898 race riots.

"Defense attorneys generally like long verdicts because it generally means somebody is in there fighting," Wright lawyer Douglas Harris told reporters later. "I don't mind that."

Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby, who didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment late Friday, told jurors during closing arguments earlier in the day there was more than enough evidence to convict Wright. Harris argued that Willoughby had presented no proof.

"Mr. Harris referred to it as hocus-pocus," Willoughby said. "I'm going to refer to it as documents and evidence."

Wright could face a maximum of nearly 10 years in prison if he is convicted on all four felony counts.

Harris told jurors that Wright did not fraudulently obtain the loan.

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