United States v. Dumitru Curescu, No. 08 CR 398 (Judge Lefkow)

Curescu is a small-time builder who hired a corrupt expediter named Catherine Romasanta to obtain building permits. Unbeknownst to Curescu, Romasanta was cooperating with the government in hopes of avoiding prison for her crimes which include years of bribery and shake-down schemes. Curescu was charged, together with six others including his wife Lavinia, with five counts of bribery and conspiracy.

At trial, the government called Ms. Romasanta to testify against Curescu and played hours and hours of her conversations with Curescu, secretly recorded by the government. Yet, the jury acquitted Lavinia Curescu on all five counts and failed to reach a verdict against Dumitru Curescu on any of the counts, forcing a mistrial.