The defense in the trial of former Jack Abramoff associate Kevin Ring called for a mistrial today after the jury foreman informed the judge that a barred piece of evidence had been included in the jurors' packets, Main Justice is reporting.

Judge Ellen Huvelle did not call a mistrial, but gave the jury instructions to disregard the piece of evidence -- the plea deal for Robert Coughlin, a former liaison in the Department of Justice's Office of Legislative Affairs.

Huvelle "explained that Coughlin's plea deal was in no way evidence of Ring's guilt and that he did not plead guilty to any of the charges Ring is facing," according to Main Justice.

In one charge, the government alleges that Ring gave Coughlin meals and sports and entertainment tickets in exchange for assistance in obtaining a $16.3 million jail-building grant from the Department of Justice for a client, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, and other matters. In another charge, the government alleges Ring gave Coughlin eight Washington Wizards basketball tickets in exchange for assistance in gaining an expedited admittance from the Immigration and Naturalization Service for students wanting to attend a school founded by Abramoff.

Coughlin's plea deal was introduced as evidence by the government, and though it had been struck as evidence, it remained in the jury's binders. The jury foreman told the judge today he had given the plea deal a "cursory" review before realizing it was mistakenly included in the binders, Main Justice reports. Coughlin was not called to testify in the trial.

Jury deliberations began on Monday afternoon, and after this morning's interruption, are now continuing.