Judge delays former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia’s prison date again due to virus concerns

Former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia II has been granted another extension concerning the date he is scheduled to report to prison.

Correia’s attorneys asked Friday for him to begin serving his sentence in New Hampshire after the trial of his former chief of staff and campaign manager, Gen Andrade, concludes or a 45-day COVID-19 delay as “thousands of new infections are reported daily and hospitals remain overwhelmed”

According to WPRI 12, Correia was granted an extension to February 13th after Judge Douglas Woodlock cited that there are “concerns regarding the transport of prisoners into and out of affected” Bureau of Prison facilities.”

While Woodlock agreed to the extension due to virus concerns, he denied Correia’s attorney’s motion to delay reporting until his appeal is heard.

Earlier this month Judge Woodlock ruled that Correia would report to prison January 28, 2022 instead of January 10 citing the current COVID-19 surge and Correia’s pending appeal as the reasons for the extension.

The former mayor had previously requested that the Court continue his surrender date for 30 days, to January 3, 2022. An extension to January 10th from December 3rd was granted in November.

Correia had previously asked for an extension to continue providing assistance to his family’s restaurant through the busy holiday season.

In the Government’s objection back in November, they stated that “to date, Correia has not paid back any of his defrauded investors and friends. To date, Correia has not paid back any of the taxes that he still owes. And to date, Correia has not paid back any of the hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash bribes that he grabbed from marijuana businesses all those years. Instead of repaying any of his debts, Correia asks to remain at liberty to provide what he calls “critical assistance to his family’s small business through the busy holiday season,” but what the Fall River press has more accurately described as “very likely the most expensive restaurant in Fall River.” Unsurprisingly, the only person Correia is prepared to pay is himself.”