CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A Federal Grand Jury meets Tuesday in Charlotte, but few legal experts believe the panel will take up the case of former Mayor Patrick Cannon.
One reason those experts doubt the case will even go to trial is that Cannon s wife has started a new job.
Trenna Cannon is now working at Wilkinson and Associates real estate office in the University area.
She lost her last job with Allen Tate Real Estate just days after her husband, Patrick Cannon, was charged by the FBI with political corruption.
The fact that Trenna Cannon is back at work is an indication to some that she does not expect her husband s case to proceed to a lengthy, time-consuming trial.
I think there is going to be a negotiated plea deal in this case, said criminal defense attorney Melissa Owen.
Owen, who is not involved in the Cannon case, said if the grand jury is not asked to consider the Cannon case when it meets Tuesday, it likely means that serious negotiations are underway with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney s office.
It could indicate a potential resolution of this, short of a trial. It could be plea negotiations, said Owen.
The FBI, in an affidavit, said Trenna Cannon can be heard on tape thanking an undercover agent for $1,000 in spending money during a trip with her husband to Las Vegas.
She was not charged in the case and the office manager at Wilkinson and Associates said there was nothing in her professional or personal history that stood in the way of her being hired.
Melissa Owen said prosecutors can use family members as leverage.
How much investigation does the defendant or target want to be done on their loved one, and is it something that will cause them to resolve the case in a plea deal?
Attempts to reach Trenna Cannon for a comment were not successful.
