JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nearly two years after former JEA executives Aaron Zahn and Ryan Wannemacher were indicted on federal charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, prosecutors and defense attorneys will give their opening statements to two juries on Wednesday morning.
Zahn, the city-owned utility’s former CEO, and Wannemacher, his former chief financial officer, were charged in connection with a proposed bonus plan that prosecutors said could have paid out millions of dollars if the utility were sold, as was being discussed in 2019. They were indicted in March 2022, and pleaded not guilty.
The trial will feature separate juries to hear each defendant’s case. Zahn’s jury was chosen last Thursday, and Wannemacher’s jury was chosen on Friday. Opening statements had been set to begin Tuesday. However, on Friday, as attorneys were choosing the jury for Wannemacher, details of potential hardships came to light involving some of the jurors who had been chosen the previous day for the Zahn case. That led to the judge delaying opening statements by one day, reserving Tuesday to potentially choose replacement jurors.
TIMELINE: The federal case against two former JEA executives
Tuesday morning, the judge and attorneys heard from some of those with hardships who felt they were unable to serve on the jury. In the end, four jurors were excused from service, and replaced with the four alternates chosen on Thursday. That left the court to choose four new alternates for the jury, which was done from a pool of 16 potential jurors. They were all questioned following a similar process from last week, where they are asked about their knowledge of the case and other aspects of their background to determine whether they can be a fair and impartial juror.
Following the changes Tuesday, the Zahn jury is made up of eight women and four men, with three women and one man as alternates. The Wannemacher jury is comprised of seven women and five men, with four women as alternates.
Opening statements will now begin after the court convenes at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Following opening statements, prosecutors will begin calling witnesses. Their first witness will be former JEA CEO Paul McElroy.
The trial is expected to last four weeks. Zahn and Wannemacher could get up to 25 years in prison if convicted on all charges.