Victim Outraged Former Fall River Mayor's Prison Sentence Repeatedly Delayed

FALL RIVER (CBS) - The former Fall River mayor sentenced to six years in prison has received his seventh delay to begin serving that time.

Jasiel Correia was sentenced in September of 2021, for fraud, extortion, and conspiracy charges over his tech app SnoOwl and extorting businesses over marijuana licenses but hasn't spent a day in prison for it.

Correia's original report to prison date was December 3, but concerns over COVID, prison occupancy, family matters, and time to shape an appeals argument, have all been accepted by the judge to push back that date.

"Delays in a criminal case are not uncommon," said WBZ Legal Analyst Jennifer Roman.

Roman said we typically do not hear about delays but the circumstances around this case make it high-profile.

"Some of those continuances have happened with the consent of the government, some of them have happened in the appeals court which is an entirely different body," Roman said.

Roman said Correia might be delaying the inevitable, based on Judge Douglas Woodlock's statements on the likelihood he will be granted bail during his appeal, if accepted.

One of Correia's victims wrote a letter to Judge Woodlock last month that called the six previous delays a "travesty of justice."

Rhode Island businessman Stephen Miller testified against Correia during his trial. Judge Woodlock found Correia defrauded Miller by getting him to invest $70,000 in his debunked app.

Miller wrote in his letter to the judge, "He (Correia) has been seen enjoying cocktails and smoking cigars while entertaining friends – exhibiting actions similar to those of Mr. Vincent 'Buddy' Cianci. I have to ask myself, am I being victimized for the second time by your honor's repeated leniency granted to Jasiel Correia?"

In a rare move, Judge Woodlock address Miller's criticism directly in a memorandum earlier this week.

Woodlock called Miller's critique an "overwrought characterizations of extensions" and said, "This defendant (Correia), as with any defendant, is entitled to the full scope of the due process."

Judge Woodlock said this would be the last extension he would be granting Correia.

The former mayor is scheduled to report to prison on April 22, for now.