A federal judge ordered a hearing Monday on former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown’s requests for acquittal or a new trial on fraud and tax charges.

Brown was convicted on 18 counts in May, but her attorneys asked for the hearing in papers filed late Friday night that continued a two-pronged attempt to keep Brown out of prison.

Attorneys had traded arguments in writing over the past month about whether a basis existed for a new trial.

The hearing Aug. 7 at 3 p.m. likely represents the last step before US. District Judge Timothy Corrigan decides the question.

Defense attorney James W. Smith III had argued Brown deserved a new trial because Corrigan didn’t have a proper basis for removing a juror who said he received guidance about Brown’s innocence from what he described as "the Holy spirit." Prosecutors answered that the juror wasn’t basing his decision solely on the evidence and law presented in the trial, which is what’s required of jurors, so removing him was the only choice.

In requesting an acquittal, Smith had argued prosecutors hadn’t presented evidence to support each of the elements of a crime the law requires them to prove to get a conviction. For example, he argued there was no evidence that Brown intended to commit fraud.

Steve Patterson: (904) 359-4263