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Feds want delay for sentencing of commissioner
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Prosecutors are seeking a delay in the sentencing for a Gwinnett politician caught in a bribery sting, a move that could signal the case may expand.U.S. District Court Judge Charles Pannell Jr. agreed Monday to a request from the U.S. attorney’s office to delay sentencing for former Gwinnett County Commissioner Shirley Lasseter from Aug. 6 to Sept. 5.Lasseter resigned on May 31 and pleaded guilty to a bribery charge. She admitted accepting $36,500 from an undercover FBI agent posing as a businessman.In return for the cash, Lasseter promised her vote on a proposed real estate development.Lasseter’s son, John Fanning, and Hall County businessman Carl Cain also pleaded guilty to bribery and drug charges.Prosecutors asked for the delay to “facilitate matters related to the defendants’ cooperation” in the ongoing investigation.Defense attorney Paul Monnin, a former federal prosecutor who focused on corruption cases, said that move could signal more arrests.If Lasseter is free on bond and prosecutors seek a delay, it likely means federal officials want Lasseter sentenced at the same time other defendants now under investigation are charged.“I would attribute that to the government and defendant jointly being of the view that it makes sense to push the sentencing hearing back so the defendant can be accorded more cooperation credit without the government having to prematurely disclose the details of its investigation,” Monnin said.