Jury asks what the term ‘reasonable doubt’ means

Jurors at the fraud trial of Paul Manafort ended their first day of deliberations by asking the judge the central question at the heart of every criminal trial — what is reasonable doubt?

The panel asked three other questions in the same note on Thursday, including a pair that relate to whether Manafort committed crimes by hiding foreign corporations that held tens of millions of dollars from U.S. tax authorities.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III answered each of the questions before dismissing the 12-member panel. They will return on Friday to resume deliberations.

Ellis said U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller isn’t required to prove its case “beyond all possible doubt.” Rather, he said, a reasonable doubt is “one that is based on reason.”

Another question related to whether Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, was required to file foreign bank reports, or FBARS. The jurors asked whether someone is required to file FBARS if the person owns less 50 percent of the account and does not have signature authority, but is authorized to disburse funds.

The question suggests that jurors are working through the complex legal requirements underlying the four FBAR counts against Manafort. He’s also charged with failing to disclose those accounts on his tax returns, and with not disclosing income.