A federal jury began deliberations Friday morning in the attempted extortion case of renowned medical malpractice attorney Stephen L. Snyder.

Jurors got the case around 10:15 a.m., following a slight delay, as the U.S. Marshals Service had to bring Snyder to court.

That's because U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman held Snyder in contempt of court Thursday evening and ordered the marshals to take him into custody for the night.

In her ruling, Boardman found Snyder, who is representing himself at 77, persistently violated her orders throughout the trial by veering into subjects excluded from evidence in front of the jury. She said she had to hold him in contempt to protect the "dignity" of the court.

"I never spent a day of my life in jail," Snyder said in court Friday morning after the marshals led him in.

The stunning development followed closing arguments in the trial, which spanned about a week and featured more than a dozen witnesses.

Federal prosecutors say Snyder attempted to extort the University of Maryland Medical System in 2018 by threatening to launch a misleading media campaign alleging doctors were transplanting diseased organs into unknowing patients if the hospital system didn't pay him $25 million for a sham consulting agreement.

Snyder raised several defenses. He argued the hospital system entrapped him because officials never told him they had no intention of entering into a consulting deal. He also maintains he consulted lawyers who advised him the agreement was legal and ethical.