Jones, Sanchez Ask For Delay In Their Public Corruption Trial

The first pair of defendants indicted in El Paso’s ongoing public corruption investigation asked for a delay to the start of their trial.

Attorney Luther Jones and El Paso County District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez were supposed to head to trial on June 21 but the I-Team uncovered court documents that state the pair have asked for a delay to the trial for three reasons.

Jones and Sanchez state in court documents that they need more time to prepare for trial, as they have to sift through new evidence prosecutors turned over just last week. The evidence comprises 19 disks of information which include more than 1,500 voice recordings and transcriptions. The defendants said that it would be an “extreme burden” to sift through the documents before the start of the trial.

Jones and Sanchez also want to wait until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on a case that deals with “honest services.” Both defendants think that if the Court rules the statute being used to prosecute them is unconstitutional, it would be a waste of time to go to trial. The case before the High Court argues the current statute that deals with some public corruption cases is too vague and is being misinterpreted or misused by prosecutors. This argument, court documents indicate, will be a main point in Jones and Sanchez’s defense.

Lastly, the defendants also argue that it would be cumbersome to start the trial in the current Federal courthouse and then move into the new building once it is ready, so they propose waiting until the case can be “resolved in the more favorable and spacious environment of the new federal facilities.”

Prosecutors have said they do not object the request for the delay, according to the motion filed on behalf of Jones and Sanchez.

Judge Frank Montalvo has yet to rule on the request.