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Santos couple also get deadline extension
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Posted on Oct 02 2008
The federal court has also granted Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Villagomez’s co-defendants new request to give them an extension on the deadline to file pre-trial motions.
U.S. District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Alex R. Munson allowed former Commerce Secretary James Santos and his wife Joaquina Villagomez Santos to file pre-trial motions on or before Nov. 10, 2008.
Munson granted such request after the Santos couple and the U.S. government asked for another extension to file the pre-trial motions.
On Aug. 22, 2008, the court approved a stipulation to extend the deadline to Sept. 22, 2008.
But on Sept. 17, 2008, the Santos couple waived their right to a speedy trial. This prompted the court to set a new trial date, March 23, 2009.
The Santos couple, through their respective lawyers, asserted that they need additional time to review the voluminous documents already provided.
The couple also anticipated more documents to be provided by the prosecution.
The deadline for Lt. Gov. Villagomez to file pre-trial motions was also set no later than Nov. 10, 2008. It was the third time that the deadline was moved.
The original deadline was for Aug. 25, 2008.
Villagomez, James Santos, Joaquina Santos, and former Commonwealth Utilities Corp. executive director Anthony Guerrero were indicted with conspiring to bilk CUC out of thousands of dollars through business deals involving needless chemical purchases for CUC.
Villagomez and the Santos couple pleaded not guilty. Guerrero signed a plea agreement and entered a guilty plea.
