Topic: 11 Alive Atlanta: No verdict yet in trial of former UGA coach Jim Donnan

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ATHENS, Ga. -- A jury did not reach a verdict in the high-profile case of former University of Georgia Jim Donnan after a full day of deliberations on Thursday.

Donnan is accused of bilking investors out of millions of dollars in a pyramid scheme.

Prosecutors claim Donnan scammed people out of nearly $23 million. Closing arguments were delivered on Wednesday.

The trial brought several big name coaches to Athens to testify against Donnan. Coaches from University of Cincinnati, the University of Kentucky, North Carolina State and Texas A&M as well as former NFL and UGA players said they invested millions with the promise of big returns.

Donnan's attorneys argue that the former coach was another victim, led to believe by his business partner Jim Crabtree that their company, GLC Limited, was successful.

Donnan chose not to testify in his defense, but his attorneys told jurors that Donnan thought he was sharing a good investment with his friends and was unaware that money from new investors was being used to pay off other investors.

The former coach is facing 41 federal charges.

Crabtree faced the same charges, but chose to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy instead of going to trial.

Jurors deliberated for about six hours on Thursday.

U.S. District Judge Ashley Royal told the jurors on Thursday to go home and get rest and advised them not to be discouraged.

"With so many counts to consider, it's not unusual for the process to take three, four or as many as five days," Royal said.

Deliberations will resume on Friday morning.

http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/athens/2014/05/14/jim-donnan-trial/9101541/