The jury in the MeV bot trial is struggling to reach a verdict as the weekend approaches

Jurors who will decide whether two brothers are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a case involving maximum extraction value (MEV) bots on the Ethereum blockchain are no closer to reaching a verdict heading into the weekend.

According to reporting from Inner City Press in a New York City court on Friday, jurors in the US government’s case against Anton and James Peraire-Bueno requested Further clarification from the judge about the motives behind their actions. Despite instructions from the judge, jurors reportedly “had an issue reaching a unanimous verdict” in the case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20zfedqdkl8

The report suggested the jury could find the brothers not guilty on at least one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, embezzlement and conspiracy to receive stolen property. Judge Jessica Clarke denied defense attorneys’ requests for a mistrial and ordered the jury to order dinner and continue deliberations.

The consultations, which took almost three full business days until Friday afternoon, were longer than comparable cases involving cryptocurrency and fraud. In contrast, the jury for the criminal trial of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, in the same district court, took five hours to Find him guilty of seven felony charges.

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The charges against the brothers stem from allegations that they used MEV bots to extract nearly $25 million in crypto from the Ethereum blockchain in 2023. The theory of the case prosecutors, presented to the jury, is that the two individuals “tricked” the system by presenting themselves as “honest validators” on the blockcain.

How long do jurors deliberate?

At the time of publication, it was unclear whether the jury would reach a verdict by the end of the day. In a note to the judge Thursday, they said They can stay until 7:30 pm ET on Friday.