'Bridgegate' Defendant Wants Trial Moved Out Of NJ
NEW JERSEY (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A former top appointee of Gov. Chris Christie charged in the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal wants the case moved out of New Jersey.
Baroni, along with former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly are facing charges including conspiracy, wire fraud and civil rights deprivation for their alleged involvement in what has become known as the 'Bridegate' scandal.
Baroni and Kelly are alleged to have closed lanes to create traffic jams in Fort Lee to punish the town's mayor Mark Sokolich for not supporting Christie's re-election.
David Wildstein, another defendant named in the yearlong investigation, pleaded guily to federal charges of conspiracy to obtain by fraud and conspiracy against civil rights in May.
Prosecutors claim Baroni and Kelly conspired with Wildstein to make sure the bridge shutdown happened Sept. 9, the first day of school-- even ignoring emails from Sokolich that emergency crews were being jammed.
The four days of traffic jams were apparently triggered by an email from Kelly to Wildstein saying, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."
Baroni's filing claims a fair trial in New Jersey is impossible because media coverage has been "sensationalistic and inflammatory.''
Kelly also filed a motion late Tuesday to force Christie's office to release more correspondence between its staffers and the Port Authority that it now claims is privileged.
On Nov. 4, Baroni and Kelly's trial was pushed back again, after a judge approved to reschedule their trial date from early March to April 4, under the defense's request for more time to review documents.
The trial was originally scheduled for this July.
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