The sentencing of Ronald Haddad, Jr., a River Forester convicted on domestic terrorism charges, has been continued once again, this time at the last moment.
Haddad, 38, who has fired all five of his previous defense counsel, appeared before Judge Virginia Kendall Thursday morning, clad in an orange Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) jump suit and holding a hard copy of his motion to have her reconsider her denial of a previous motion for a new trial.
Haddad told Kendall his mailed motion to the court had been returned to him last week, and that he was also unaware of a memorandum Kendall had issued regarding his case.
“The MCC, on purpose or by accident, withheld your memorandum from me,” Haddad told Kendall, adding, “The MCC withheld my mail to you and gave it back to me for no reason at all.”
Haddad also expressed once again his believe that federal prosecutors are attempting to violate his rights. He told the judge several motions he attempted to file in the past week or so were “meant to stop any last minute dirty tricks by the prosecutors.”
Noting that no motion for reconsideration was on the court’s electronic docket, Kendall asked for Haddad’s copy to be filed with the court.
“We’ll grant your motion for continuance,” she said. “I will reconsider my denial of the motion for a new trial.”
Haddad is now scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 17, exactly one week past the sixth anniversary of his arrest by federal agents.
On Feb. 9, 2009 federal agents executed a search warrant at his parent’s home in River Forest. He was arrested the next day and subsequently charged in a 30-count criminal indictment.
Haddad was accused of sending graphically threatening letters as well as substances and mock-explosive devices to numerous elected officials and oil company executives.
On April 28, 2014, after hearing 32 prosecution witnesses, a jury took less than four hours to find Haddad guilty on all 30 counts.
He has already spent nearly three years in federal custody after having his bond revoked in March 2012.
