In a December 2 letter to Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil, the United States Attorney’s office requested a delay in the preparation of certain pre-trial filings in the criminal case against Jason Servis, citing ” discussions about possible pre-trial arrangements.” Servis was a well-known trainer before being indicted and suspected in March 2020 for doping horses.
On December 1, the government informed Vyskocil that Servis’ co-defendant, Dr. Alexander Chan, would plead guilty on December 5, the same day of the pre-trial filing.
Servis and Chan are scheduled to appear in court together starting January 9 in Vyskocil’s court. Chan worked as Servis’ veterinarian in New York during the period described in the indictment against them. Assuming the court accepts Chan’s plea, Servis will face the trial alone and Chan’s ability to give testimony detrimental to his defense unless his case is reached. favorable.
Friday’s developments could be an important step towards resolving the Servis case. Vyskocil wrote in a scheduling order in May, “The Court will not accept the delay,” but she accepted the request to delay the pre-trial filing a week as soon as she received the letter. December 2.
“The request to extend the petition filing period at this time has been approved. The deadline for filing the petition before the trial date is December 12, 2022. The deadline to object to the petitions that motion and the filing of all other required pre-trial filings remains December 19, 2022, and will not be extended,” Vyskocil wrote.
