A federal judge overseeing proceedings against convicted arms trafficker Viktor Bout has delayed his sentencing until April–the third time the hearing has been put off. Bout was originally due to be sentenced on Feb. 8, but a series of logistics problems and extension requests by Bout’s lawyers have held off his sentencing.
Bout’s lawyer, Albert Y. Dayan, asked for two weeks extra time because the “defense is still in progress of drafting a sentencing memorandum in this complex matter.” Prosecutors had expressed worry that the delays were hard on their 70-year-old star witness, Andrew Smulian, who has been kept in a federal detention center in New York for four years. Dayan said their concern was “hypocritical” compared to the possible life sentence Bout faces for his conviction on four counts of conspiracy.
Judge Shira A. Scheindlin Wednesday granted a delay until April 5, acknowledging the “serious and complex nature of the issues” and saying she also had a conflicting trial in late March.