A U.S. federal court has declared a mistrial in the case of a Saipan businessman indicted for taking endangered species, after a jury hearing the case could not reach a unanimous verdict.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge , Alex Munson, ordered a new trial for Soleman.
Soleman who allegedly instructed his employees to cut tangan-tangan trees in 2005 and turn them into charcoal that was to be sold to the public.
The Assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case said Soleman didn't have a permit for clearing the land.
Tangan-tangan or "weed" trees are the territorial habitats of nightingale reed warblers, which can be found only on the islands of Saipan and Alamagan.