Infante attorney gets until Nov. 5 to file appeal brief

Staff report

WARREN

The attorney for Ralph Infante has been granted another month to file his merit brief, which will outline the reasons he feels the convictions and sentence of the former Niles mayor should be overturned.

Atty. David Doughten this week asked the 11th District Court of Appeals to move the deadline to Nov. 4 because of Doughten’s work on two capital murder cases and because there are 2,100 pages of transcripts to review in the Infante trial, which took place in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court in April and May.

On Tuesday, a magistrate for the appellate court moved Doughten’s deadline back from Friday to Nov. 5 but warned that only “extraordinary circumstances” would allow the deadline to be extended again.

Infante, 62, was sentenced to 10 years in prison May 11 after being convicted at trial of 22 criminal charges, including engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity throughout his 24 years as Niles mayor.

The appeal will be heard by three visiting judges from the Akron-based 9th District Court of Appeals instead of the Warren-based 11th District Court.