Jury Selection Begins in Trial of St. John

Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of Juanita St. John, the longtime associate of Mayor Tom Bradley accused of embezzling $178,000 from a city-funded African trade program. St. John, 59, is charged with stealing the money from the UCLA-based Task Force for Africa/Los Angeles Relations, which she headed. She also is accused of stealing $5,000 as treasurer of an anti-genocide group and of filing false state tax returns from 1985 through 1987.

During a preliminary hearing in December, Municipal Court Judge David Doi ordered the trial held but said the case against St. John appeared weak. St. John’s lawyer, Victor Sherman, said Doi’s comments show the case should be dropped, but the prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen S. Licker, said the case “wouldn’t have been filed if we didn’t think we could get a conviction.”