Rowland sentencing postponed

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Fears that the sentencing of former Gov. John G. Rowland would cast a pall over Wednesday’s inaugural of incumbent Dannel P. Malloy were allayed Monday, with prosecutors reaching an agreement with Rowland’s lawyers to delay his appearance before a federal judge.

No makeup date has been set yet for Rowland’s sentencing for campaign fraud.

In a stunning recurrence for Rowland, who resigned as governor in 2005 and served 10 months in prison, Rowland was convicted of campaign fraud in September.

Rowland’s lawyers filed a motion Friday in New Haven federal court requesting a sentencing delay to examine what they contend is new material in the case of the disgraced Republican.

It surrounds a sham contract that signed off on by a law firm for Rowland to do consulting work for a nursing home business owned by Brian Foley, the husband of 2012 GOP congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley. A jury found that Rowland accepted $35,000 from the nursing home to work as a political consultant for Wilson-Foley’s unsuccessful campaign in Connecticut’s 5th District, a violation of federal election laws.

Had they known that a law firm signed off on the contract, Rowland’s legal team said it would have called Wilson-Foley as a witness during Rowland’s September trial.

Wilson-Foley and her husband accepted a plea deal in return for their cooperation with the government’s case against Rowland. His sentencing is scheduled for Friday and hers is scheduled for Jan. 13.

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of 40 to 46 months for Rowland as a two-time offender, while his lawyers appealed for a more lenient sentence of 18 months.

The charges against Rowland, who was elected to three terms and was regarded as a rising star of the GOP, carry a maximum penalty of 57 years imprisonment.

Those close to Malloy, who earned a second term in the November election, privately expressed relief Monday that the governor won’t have to share the headlines with Rowland.

Malloy will take the oath of office at 1:30 p.m. at the Capitol in Hartford.

Neil Vigdor