Pella Stokes found not guilty on fraud charge

A Guilford County jury found TO Pella Stokes, a prominent Greensboro lawyer, not guilty of a single fraud-related charge today. Judge Edwin G. Wilson declared a mistrial on four remaining felony charges after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict.

As the clerk prepared to read the verdict, Judge Wilson cautioned against reaction and five additional bailiffs entered the courtroom from the back. Following the verdict, the defendant’s supporters drummed on their seats to show approval, and his wife wept, clasping hands with his mother.

“It’s always good to be vindicated,” Stokes said in the hallway afterwards. “I have no ill will against anyone. I just feel like justice has been done.”

The jury went into deliberation yesterday at 10 a.m. after final arguments in a trial that began on May 17. Stokes had face five felony charges – one for obtaining property valued at more than $100,000 by false premises, one for obtaining property valued at more than $100,000 by false premises, and three others for obtaining property by false premises.

The state, represented by two special deputy attorneys from the NC Justice Department in Raleigh called several witnesses, including Greensboro police detectives PD Nix and MP Kraft; William Galipeau, regional security manager for SunTrust bank; and Terrell Raynor and Beverly Hinson, who are respectively serving 10- and 8-year prison sentences for fraud-related charges. The defense called no witnesses.

Twinkle Scott, the jury foreperson, said after the trial that the majority of jurors in a 7-5 split had favored acquittal on the four charges that resulted in mistrial. Scott said after discussing the case, most jurors didn’t see sufficient evidence to support the notion that Stokes directed Raynor’s activities. Raynor, who has a record of convictions reaching back to the late 1980s, was a former legal client of Stokes’ and the two operated an entertainment business together for a time, according to an article in Spotlight magazine that was cited in a warrant drawn up by Detective Nix.

The state has the discretion to retry the four charges that resulted in mistrial. The prosecutors referred questions to the NC Justice Department's public information officer, who had not responded to calls at publication time.

Raynor began working as a confidential informant for the Greensboro Police Department around the time of the fraud activity for which he was convicted, a recent document authored by his lawyer states.

"The defendant Terrell Raynor has provided an unprecedented level of assistance to the federal government in its investigation of criminal activity within the Middle District of North Carolina," the document states.

Stokes and his supporters met the jurors out in the hallway after the trial, and Stokes embraced the jury foreperson.

Upon receiving Stokes’ expression of gratitude, another juror said sharply: “Don’t do business with him anymore,” and brushed past him.

“I won’t,” Stokes responded softly.

UPDATE: Noelle Talley, a spokeswoman for the NC Justice Department says the prosecution team still needs to review the case before deciding whether to retry the four charges that resulted in mistrial.