Richard Maike wants to push his criminal trial back seven months. The defendant in the DOJ's Infinity2Global case is now asking the court to delay proceedings from July 22nd to February 2020—because his new lawyer won't take the job otherwise.
Maike's legal team crumbled in April when his attorney withdrew. The court gave him thirty days to find replacement counsel. He did. But the catch: his new attorney will only represent him if the trial gets pushed back.
The defendant claims he contacted multiple attorneys. All of them wanted the same thing—more time to prepare.
The DOJ isn't buying it. Prosecutors say Maike has been stalling since at least October 2018, always citing trial preparation as the reason. Now, eight months later, he's asking for the exact same excuse.
The pattern runs deeper. Since the FTC started investigating Maike in 2015, he's burned through four law firms. His most recent attorney bailed due to what court documents call a deterioration in their working relationship. That's a polite way of saying things fell apart.
The question hanging over this case is whether Maike is genuinely unable to find counsel willing to rush through trial prep, or whether he's simply using the legal system's machinery to buy time. If the court grants the continuance, what stops him from hiring this new lawyer, hitting another rough patch in the fall, and requesting yet another delay? There's nothing to prevent the cycle from repeating.
On June 10th, Maike filed his motion for continuance. The court ordered both sides to respond by June 17th. Between June 12th and 17th, something unexpected happened: the DOJ and other parties filed "no objection" responses. They didn't fight him on it.
On June 19th, the judge granted the motion.
But the saga didn't end there. By August, the court issued a new order rescheduling the Infinity2Global trial again. This time, the trial date landed on May 11th, 2020—pushing the case back even further than the February date Maike originally requested.
What happens next remains unclear. Maike now has nine months to work with his new counsel before facing trial. Whether that's enough time to actually prepare or just enough rope to hang himself remains to be seen.
🤖 Quick Answer
Why does Richard Maike seek to postpone his Infinity2Global criminal trial?
Richard Maike, defendant in the DOJ's Infinity2Global case, requests delaying his trial from July 2022 to February 2020. His newly retained attorney conditioned representation upon obtaining additional preparation time. Maike claims multiple attorneys similarly requested extended periods for case preparation following his previous counsel's withdrawal in April.
What is the prosecution's position on the postponement request?
Federal prosecutors oppose the delay, arguing Maike has engaged in systematic postponement tactics since October 2018, consistently citing trial preparation requirements. The DOJ contends the defendant's current justification represents a recurring pattern of obstruction rather than legitimate procedural necessity requiring extended preparation periods.
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