By TIM THORNTON and LINDSEY NAIR
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Archives Reprint

Richard Burrow's federal fraud trial ended without a resolution - the jury couldn't agree on a verdict - but that hasn't shaken the faith of Burrow's supporters.

"After June 6, 2001, I thought I couldn't be more proud of my stepfather until I've seen how well he's handled this witch hunt," a tearful Sarah Blum said after Judge James Turk told a jury that claimed to be deadlocked to go home.

"We definitely 100 percent believe in Richard and we'll always believe in Richard," Blum said.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours before deciding they couldn't reach a verdict on any of the four counts of fraud against Burrow. Prosecutors said Burrow ran a financial shell game in the months leading up to the National D-Day Memorial's opening, using phantom contributions to secure loans, using loans to secure grants, and keeping members of the memorial foundation's board in the dark about his dealings.

"I don't believe Richard did anything wrong," said Bob Slaughter, a D-Day veteran who spearheaded the memorial's creation. "I can't imagine what the jury was thinking about. It looked to me like the government didn't have a case."

Bob Archer, head of the Friends of Richard Burrow Legal Defense Fund, agreed. "I think we're all disappointed," Archer said. "It should have been only one verdict and it's not guilty."

Warner Dalhouse, who testified in Burrow's defense, thinks the case should never have been prosecuted.

"It's an outrage in my mind," Dalhouse said. "I think the Justice Department needs to get on with the business at hand and try real criminals."

Even Byron Dickson - who filed suit against the foundation in April seeking $867,000 for his work designing the monument - said he doesn't think Burrow did anything wrong. "In my dealings with Richard Burrow I never witnessed any impropriety on his part. He seemed to be very careful to try and walk the proper line."

Dickson implied that Burrow's approach is common fund-raising practice.

"I never knew a fund-raiser to tell you he'd raised less than he really had," Dickson said. "I just think Mr. Burrow was extremely optimistic. Maybe too optimistic; I don't know."

Optimistic, perhaps, but not criminal, according to Stuart Barbour, a former member of the foundation's board.

"He didn't take a nickel," Barbour said. "All the donations went into the project. It was just a situation where somebody spent money that was not in hand. It's not an Enron situation."

Dickson said he thinks the jury's deadlock is a plus for Burrow. "I know a hung jury is kind of like kissing your sister," he said. "It's not very satisfying, but it's not an expression of guilt, either."

But it leaves an undeserved stain on Burrow's reputation, in Barbour's opinion.

"His reputation is ruined even if it doesn't go any further," he said. "He's a broken man."

Staff writer Jay Conley contributed to this report.

Tim Thornton can be reached

at 981-3131 or tim.thornton@roanoke.com

Lindsey Nair can be reached

at 981-3349 or lindsey.nair@roanoke.com

Let any elected or appointed official know what you think and how you feel by CLICKING HERE.