JACK REJTMAN; of the Miami Herald

HIALEAH -- After six years, three trials, one conviction and two appeals, federal prosecutors dropped their extortion and racketeering case Monday against Raul Martinez -- bringing to an end one of the most tortuous public corruption cases in Dade County history.

U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey's decision to drop the case came one hour after jurors in Martinez's third trial voted to acquit the Hialeah mayor on one count of extortion and deadlocked on five remaining counts.

Stone-faced during an afternoon press conference, Coffey delivered the words that scores of Martinez's faithful had waited weeks during this trial to hear, years since the mayor's legal battles began.

"We cannot further consume the processes of our courts with questions our juries cannot answer," Coffey said. "We therefore will not retry the remaining corruption charges against Raul Martinez." Martinez, drained from four days of deliberations and back-to-back trials, heard the news from his lawyer's office in the company of his immediate family, close friends and a half-dozen lawyers who have represented him since he was first indicted in 1990.

"It's a relief. But this is something I have lived with for such a long time that it hasn't sunk in yet," Martinez said, as he flipped through local TV channels to hear confirmation of the news.

His wife, Angela, also was numb and relieved, saying, "It's something I'm sure I can get used to."

Martinez, who was accused of trading zoning favors to developers for cash and sweet land deals worth between $134,000 to $182,000, was convicted on six of eight federal extortion and racketeering charges in 1991.

But appellate judges ordered a new trial in 1994, citing flawed jury instructions and blatant jury misconduct. The mayor's second trial ended March 26 in a hung jury. And the third trial, which began April 22, resulted in a similar fate.

About 2:45 p.m. Monday, jury foreman James Derrickson handed Senior U.S. District Judge James W. Kehoe this note: "Judge Kehoe, we have spent nearly four days discussing this case and have reached a verdict on only one count. We are not close to agreement on the other five. From my standpoint, we could deliberate for many more days and not get any closer to a verdict."

Half an hour later, Kehoe decided to accept the verdict on the lone unanimous count, in which Martinez allegedly coerced Hialeah Councilman Silvio Cardoso to pay a $7,000 bribe to another councilman for a zoning vote.

With the words "not guilty," the courtroom erupted in a burst of cheers. Smiles of relief spread across the faces of three scores of Martinez supporters.