By Andy Vuong
Denver Post Staff Writer
Jurors returned to the Denver federal courthouse this morning for the sixth day of deliberations in the insider trading case of former CEO Joe Nacchio.
They are hunkered in a 10th-floor jury room to decide the fate of Nacchio, who faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine on each of the 42 counts of illegal insider trading.
Prosecutors accuse him of selling $100.8 million in Qwest stock based on material, nonpublic information that the company’s finances were deteriorating.
Nacchio’s attorneys have contended that he was upbeat on the company and was urged to exercise stock options that were close to expiring.
The length of the deliberations is not unusual for such high-profile, white-collar cases.
Jurors deliberated for six days before convicting former Enron executives Jeff Skilling and Ken Lay of conspiracy, fraud and other charges.
