Judge John C. Coughenour said the ends of justice would be served by allowing the defense further time to review the evidence in preparation for trial and further time to pursue plea negotiations outweigh any other interests the public or Miah may have in speedy trial.
The jury trial has been moved to Sept. 12, 2001, from June 20, 2011. It was earlier scheduled for March 7, 2011.
Miah co-defendants, former Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles examiner William A. Hocog, Hongmei Sun and Hui Qiang Yan, also known as Hui Chang, each admitted the offense of conspiracy to unlawfully produce and transfer an identification document — a CNMI driver’s license. They will be sentenced in September.
Miah’s wife Tahira Dolores Miah is also a co-defendant in this case. They have denied the charges.
At the time of her indictment in January, Mrs. Miah was expected to give birth either in April or May.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Schuler is prosecuting the case while Mr. Miah is being defended by Joseph Horey.
