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Solofa’s defense asks court to delay filing appeal brief

Defense attorney for former American Samoa Department of Education official Paul Solofa has asked the the federal appeal’s court in Washington D.C. for a delay in filing the required opening appeal brief until early next year.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Tony Axam Jr., made the request in a motion filed Tuesday this week with the Appellate Court of the U.S.  District of Columbia.

According to the motion, all trial transcripts for the appeal have been received; however, due to previously-set filing deadlines in other cases the defense needs more than the usual 60-days to prepare appellant’s opening briefs.

Therefore the defense counsel asks the court to set a due date for the appellant’s opening brief no sooner than Jan. 7, 2013, the motion states.

Solofa was sentenced in June this year at the federal court in Washington D.C. to 35 months in jail after he was convicted by a federal jury on one count each of witness tampering and obstruction of justice. Solofa thereafter started the process of appealing his conviction and sentencing at the federal appeals court in the nation’s capital.