Jurors deciding the fate of two brothers accused of wrongdoing involving maximal extractable value (MEV) bots on the Ethereum blockchain remain no closer to reaching a verdict as the weekend approaches.
According to reporting from Inner City Press at a New York City court on Friday, the jurors in the U.S. government’s case against Anton and James Peraire-Bueno requested additional clarification from the judge regarding the intentions behind their actions. Despite the judge’s instructions, the jurors reportedly continue to struggle with reaching a unanimous verdict.
The reporting suggested that the jury could acquit the brothers on at least one of the charges, which include conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to receive stolen property.
Judge Jessica Clarke denied the defense lawyers’ requests for a mistrial and directed the jury to order dinner and continue deliberations. As of Friday afternoon, the deliberations had spanned almost three full business days—significantly longer than comparable cryptocurrency and fraud cases.
For perspective, the jury in the criminal trial of former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, held in the same district court, took about five hours to find him guilty of seven felony charges.
### Background on the Case
The charges against the Peraire-Bueno brothers stem from allegations that they used MEV bots to extract approximately $25 million in cryptocurrency from the Ethereum blockchain in 2023. Prosecutors argued that the two individuals “tricked” the system by presenting themselves as “honest validators” on the blockchain.
### How Long Can Juries 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 on Thursday, they stated they could remain deliberating until 7:30 pm ET on Friday.
While there is generally no legal limit on how long juries may deliberate, a judge can intervene to expedite proceedings or grant a mistrial if the jury signals that it is deadlocked.
In the Peraire-Buenos case, Judge Clarke has not issued an Allen charge—special instructions given to a hung jury urging them to reach a verdict—according to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.
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**Related:** Polymarket rife with ‘artificial trading,’ Columbia University researchers find
https://bitcoinethereumnews.com/tech/jury-in-mev-bot-trial-struggles-to-reach-verdict-as-weekend-approaches/