PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — The U.S. Justice Department has decided not to retry two American Samoa government officials.

Last month, a mistrial was declared in the Washington, D.C., federal court trial of Lt. Gov. Aitofele Sunia and Sen. Tini Lam Yuen.
They were charged with public corruption offenses for allegedly conspiring to split a large project for school furniture construction among companies they owned and a third company owned by another official.
Defense attorneys said U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton declared the mistrial after jurors deadlocked following nine days of deliberations, with 11 favoring acquittal.
Sunia’s attorney, Stephen P. Anthony, and Yuen’s attorney, Michelle Peterson, said Tuesday that they were pleased prosecutors decided not to retry the case.