Former State Senator Efrain Gonzalez, awaiting sentencing following a conviction on fraud charges, will remain a free man into 2010.
Gonzalez, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to illegally funneling state money into his own pockets, was originally supposed to be sentenced in mid-August. That date was then pushed to November.
But now Gonzalez has acquired new legal representation and the U.S. Attorney’s office is giving his new court-appointed lawyer Lance Croffoot-Suede some time to get familiar with the case.
Gonzalez’s previous lawyer, Murray Richman, told the Daily News that the former senator from the 33rd District (now represented by Pedro Espada, Jr.), was having second thoughts about his guilty plea.
A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office said a conference hearing is scheduled for Jan. 29. It remains unclear when Gonzalez will be sentenced.
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.