Just a day after being ordered to prison, Joseph A. Ferriero persuaded another judge to delay his sentence.
It turns out Joseph A. Ferriero won't have to report to prison just yet.
A U.S. District Court judge had ordered the former Bergen County Democratic Party boss convicted of racketeering, mail and wire fraud to report to prison Thursday, but U.S. Appeals Court judge gave him at least a few more days of freedom.
An order from Third Circuit Judge D. Michael Fisher gives Ferriero until Tuesday to file a motion for bail pending an appeal of his case. If he files the motion by the end of Tuesday, he can remain out of prison until the court rules on the motion.
Ferriero had successfully delayed a three-year prison term multiple times, seemingly until this past Tuesday, when Judge Esther Salas ordered him to report to to the federal Bureau of Prisons Thursday. In her ruling, Salas said Ferriero had failed to raise "a substantial question of law or fact" that might lead to a successful appeal.
Former Bergen County Dem Boss convicted
Ferriero was convicted of taking part in a scheme to extort $35,000 a month from the Mills Corp., a Virginia company looking to develop in the Meadowlands. In exchange for the payments, Ferriero agreed not to oppose the company's plan to build Xanadu, a retail and entertainment complex that has since been renamed and taken over by Triple Five.
Ferriero served as chairman of the Bergen County Democratic Organization from 1998 through 2009. Prosecutors said he used his influence to enrich himself.
Myles Ma may be reached at mma@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MylesMaNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.