A U.S. trial for 10 defendants in the multi-million-dollar Jamaican lottery scam case has been delayed until early next year.
U.S. District Judge Dan Hovland rescheduled the trial that was to begin July 17 in federal court in North Dakota to January 22, 2018.
According to the Associated Press, the trial was pushed back after one of the suspects’ attorneys said he had a conflict next month and also needed more time to prepare.
Federal prosecutors did not object to the delay.
In May, prosecutors asked Judge Hovland to schedule trial without waiting for other defendants to be caught or extradited from Jamaica, saying the victims deserve justice in a case that already has dragged on for more than five years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Hochhalter yesterday said there is a mountain of evidence for the defendants to review, and the court system is busy.
U.S. Attorney Chris Myers anticipates the trial might last as long as three weeks.
Fifteen people are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud and money laundering in the Jamaican scam that authorities said bilked at least 90 mostly elderly Americans out of more than US$5.7 million .
The suspects could face decades in prison if convicted.
Nine of the 10 suspects facing trial are Jamaicans who pleaded not guilty earlier this year.
They include Lavrick Willocks, who authorities allege was the mastermind.
The tenth suspect is an American who pleaded not guilty in August 2015.
Two of the remaining five suspects are in custody in Jamaica awaiting extradition, and three remain fugitives.