BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts mayor facing federal investment fraud and extortion charges as well as prosecutors asked a judge Thursday to delay his trial several months.
In a joint filing in U.S. District Court in Boston, prosecutors and lawyers for 27-year-old Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia requested that the trial, scheduled for February, be pushed back until June 1.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled for Dec. 12.
The delay is being sought given additional charges, the addition of Correia’s former chief of staff as a defendant, and the voluminous additional discovery, the motion says.
The automatic discovery related to the new counts was more than 56,000 pages, the filing said,
Correia pleaded not guilty in September to charges that he extorted hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana companies. He previously pleaded not guilty to federal charges of defrauding investors in a smartphone app he was developing in order fund a lavish lifestyle and further his political career.
He has steadfastly denied all the charges.
Correia took a voluntary leave of absence as mayor in October and handed his duties to the city council president. He lost a re-election bid last month. He will continue to collect his salary until his term expires next month.
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