J.T. Burnette trial delayed again, this time until July 2021

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - The trial of Tallahassee businessman J.T. Burnette has once again been delayed, this time until July 2021.

Florida Second Circuit Cheif Judge Jonathan Sjostrom tentatively set a new date of July 12, 2021, according to a court document filed Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Burnette was arrested in May 2019 and charged in a bribery scheme along with former City Commissioner Scott Maddox and his associate Paige Carter-Smith.

Burnette’s attorneys requested the continuance of the trial until July 2021 to allow ample time for a coronavirus vaccine to be distributed to the public with hopes the virus will be under control at that point, court documents say. The government agreed with this request.

As part of the agreement, Burnette’s attorneys accepted the following deadlines:

Final exhibit and witness lists served on or before May 15, 2021
Trial briefs and any additional motions in Limine filed on or before June 1, 2021
The government will disclose the identities of any undercover agents on it witness list on or before June 11, 2021
All outstanding trial subpoenas will be effective for the new trial date

This is the third time Burnette’s federal trial has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Overall, this is the sixth time the trial has been delayed since his arrest in May 2019.

Burnette’s arrest was part of an FBI corruption probe in Tallahassee. Maddox and Carter-Smith have already entered guilty pleas in the case. They are expected to testify against Burnette at trial.