CHARLOTTE — John Knox Bridges will have to wait as attorneys spar on another proposed charge against the admitted con man.
Bridges, a Salisbury resident who pleaded guilty last spring to bilking longtime friends out of millions of dollars, has awaited sentencing since he failed to show up for a sentencing hearing in January.
And that wait may continue another two weeks as his new attorney fights a proposed criminal contempt charge.
Prosecutors filed a motion last week for a notice of criminal contempt against Bridges for skipping court. After missing his scheduled sentencing hearing in January, he was found in the basement of Maupin Avenue ARP Church in Salisbury with a loaded shotgun and a yellow notebook.
Bridges’ former attorney, Rahwa Gebre-Egziabher, left the case after Federal Chief Judge Robert Conrad Jr. blasted her for citing attorney-client privilege when asked about the status of her then-missing client during the January hearing.
If convicted of criminal contempt of court, Bridges could face an additional two years in prison.
Bridges’ new attorney, Richard S. Glaser Jr., was assigned to the case Tuesday. Glaser asked for an extension to respond to prosecutors’ motion by April 14.
In court records, Glaser said he and U.S. Attorney Maria Vento had reached an agreement on the delay.
A new sentencing date had not been set Thursday. In January, Bridges was expected to be sentenced to between 57 and 71 months in prison and pay full restitution to his victims.
The 52-year-old was accused of taking more than $2.3 million from friends and coworkers, as well as $600,000 from the North Carolina Transportation Museum Foundation while he served on the foundation’s board.
Contact reporter Nathan Hardin at 704-797-4246.