US Chief Judge Dora Lizette Irizarry has deferred the sentencing of Guyanese businessman, Ed Ahmad on fraud conspiracy charges to February 3rd next year.
Ahmad’s lawyer Steven Kartagener had asked for a deferral to January 18 next year but has gotten an even longer one.
The judge made the decision yesterday according to court documents seen by this newspaper.
Ahmad’s original date for sentencing was January 15 this year.
This is the eighth delay in sentencing following a series of requests by his lawyer.
Kartagener sought the deferral from November 15, 2016 because of the further postponement of the sentencing of former New York State Senator John Sampson. Ahmad was a key witness in the Sampson trial and is hoping to benefit from a sentence reduction once the extent of his co-operation is made known.
Kartagener had in May this year sought the deferral of sentencing to September 14 to benefit from Sampson’s sentencing. In that earlier letter, he had said, “By granting this adjournment, the Court would be permitting (Ahmad) to get the benefit (of) his literally hundreds of hours served as a cooperator, which will undoubtedly be chronicled at length in the government’s anticipated 5K1 letter…”
The 5K1 letter is usually filed by the US Government when a defendant provides substantial assistance in the solving of other cases and the Government then seeks a reduction in the sentence.
