New York Judge Dora Irizarry has “reluctantly” granted another adjournment of the sentencing of Guyanese businessman Ed Ahmad on mortgage fraud conspiracy.
Sentencing is now on April 21, 2017.
According to court documents seen by Stabroek News the judge noted that sentencing had been adjourned many times.
“Moreover, the court is at a loss as to why the (US) government has still not prepared whatever sentencing letter it is going to submit to the court”, the judge was reported as saying.
She then ordered that the government’s sentencing letter should be filed no later than March 24 while Ahmad’s sentencing submission should be filed no later than April 7, 2017. Furthermore, copies of the submissions must be provided to the Probation Department and two hard courtesy copies of all submissions must be presented to Chambers promptly.
Last month, Ahmad’s lawyer wrote the judge seeking the deferral of his sentencing until after April 16.
Ahmad’s lawyer, Steven Kartegener in a January 17, 2017 letter to judge Irizarry sought the postponement as he said he was pressed by other work and had not been able to begin work on his sentencing submission. Furthermore, he said that he was awaiting a 5k.1 letter from the US which was crucial to the defendant.
Kartegener’s letter was sent on the same day that the judge deferred sentencing from February 3rd to March 16th. Sentencing of Ahmad has now been deferred 10 times. He was originally supposed to be sentenced on January 15th, 2016.
Ahmad is expecting to benefit from a reduced sentence for cooperating with the US in its case against former New York state senator John Sampson.
