Mayor wants to skip next court date on pot extortion charges

FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2019 file photo, Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia, left, speaks beside his attorney Kevin Reddington outside the federal courthouse in Boston after his appearance on bribery, extortion and fraud charges. Correia, who faces multiple federal corruption charges, is confronting a new challenge - surviving a preliminary election. Correia is on the Fall River mayoral ballot for Tuesday, Sept. 17 along with Paul Coogan and Erica Scott-Pacheco. The top two vote-getters will advance to the Nov. 5 general election. (AP Photo/Philip Marcelo, File)

FALL RIVER, Mass. — A Massachusetts mayor facing charges of extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana companies is seeking to skip his next court date.

Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia said in a filing Monday that he’s waiving his right to personally appear for his formal arraignment in Boston federal court on Oct. 2.

Correia instead wants his lawyer to enter his plea. The 27-year-old Democrat said during his initial court appearance earlier this month that he would be pleading not guilty to the charges.

Correia has also pleaded not guilty to charges he defrauded investors in his smartphone app.

He faces school committee member Paul Coogan in the Nov. 5 general election after advancing in the city’s preliminary election last week.

U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling’s office didn’t comment.

The Associated Press