A federal sentencing in the case of a former Northampton County Sheriff's Office official scheduled today has been continued until December 20, according to court records.
The continuance in the sentencing of William Otis Wheeler on federal weapons charges in New Bern comes as the assistant federal prosecutor in the case was scheduled Tuesday to begin trial of a case in Raleigh, according to the motion contained in court files.
“This motion is made in good faith and because the undersigned has worked extensively in this public corruption matter and would like to see the case through,” the motion by U.S. Attorney Thomas G. Walker and Assistant United States Attorney Barbara Kocher says.
United States District Court Judge Louise Flanagan signed the order on August 23.
Wheeler had originally been scheduled for sentencing on June 20 but the matter was continued until the September term at the request of Wheeler's federal Joseph Ross II, according to court files.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office said in March Wheeler faces a maximum of 10 years imprisonment on each of the two counts he pled guilty to along with a $250,000 fine and up to three years supervised release.
He pled guilty to possession of a stolen firearm and the sale of a stolen firearm. If he receives the maximum punishment it would be 20 years imprisonment, 10 years for each count, the spokesman said.
A federal grand jury, according to court records, returned a true bill of indictment against Wheeler on November 27, for one count of possession of stolen firearms and two counts of sale of stolen firearms.
Court documents do not mention Wheeler’s former association with the sheriff’s office. The documents also do not mention where the weapons came from or to whom they were sold.
The grand jury charges in the first count that Wheeler, at one time chief deputy for the department, between April of 2010 and August 10 of last year knowingly possessed stolen firearms, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce before they were stolen, knowing and having reasonable cause to believe the firearms were stolen.
In the second count the grand jury charges that between May 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010, Wheeler knowingly sold stolen firearms, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce before they were stolen.
The grand jury charges in the third count that Wheeler, between May 1, 2010 and August 31, 2010, Wheeler knowingly sold stolen firearms, which had been shipped in interstate commerce.
A warrant for Wheeler’s arrest was requested on November 27, according to court documents.
