FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — Disgraced former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia is scheduled to report to prison on Friday, but the question remains: will he?
U.S. District Judge Douglas Woodlock has pushed Correia’s prison date back seven times for a variety of reasons.
The most recent delay coincided with Woodlock ruling against Correia’s request to stay out of prison while trying to overturn his conviction. The judge said a delay to April 22 would give Correia “a reasonable period” to see if the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagrees with Woodlock on that ruling.
Woodlock indicated that would be the last time he would delay Correia’s prison date, though it could conceivably be delayed again by the appellate court.
In new court documents filed last week, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins opposed additional delays to Correia’s prison date.
“Correia’s motion for continued release pending appeal should be denied because none of the issues he raises on appeal presents a substantial question,” Rollins wrote to the appeals court.
Correia stands convicted of 11 counts of fraud, extortion and conspiracy following his trial last year, where the jury found that he defrauded investors in his tech app SnoOwl and shook down marijuana vendors for bribes while he was mayor.
The jury convicted him of 21 total counts, but Woodlock later tossed out 10 counts based on technicalities in the law, a decision the judge said did not affect the length of the former mayor’s sentence.
Correia was sentenced to six years in prison, and he’s still required to pay restitution to the victims in the dismissed counts. He served as Fall River’s mayor from 2016 to 2020.
Federal prosecutors and at least one of Correia’s victims, Stephen Miller, have expressed frustration that the former mayor remains out of prison more than six months after his sentencing. Woodlock acknowledged that frustration in a footnote included in his order Monday, but defended his actions.
“I recognize that the orderly process of considering a request for bail pending appeal can be particularly frustrating to lay members of the public, especially those entitled to restitution as victims of the defendant’s relevant fraudulent conduct,” Woodlock wrote. The judge alluded to what he termed “overwrought characterizations” about the delays, quoting a scathing email he received from Miller.
It’s unclear at this time whether the appeals court or Woodlock, who could conceivably go against his word, will push Correia’s prison date back further, though any decisions will be filed by Friday.
Tim White, Ted Nesi and Steph Machado contributed to this report.