Ex-Sen. Calderon may face additional criminal charges, prosecutor warns

A federal prosecutor indicated in a court filing Wednesday that a superseding indictment containing more criminal charges is possibly on the way in the corruption case of former state Sen. Ronald Calderon (D-Montebello).

Assistant U.S. Atty. Douglas M. Miller made the comment in a court filing that opposed a request by Calderon’s attorney to delay the trial’s Aug. 11 scheduled start.

Calderon was indicted last year on 24 charges including allegations that he accepted $80,000 in bribes. His brother, former Assemblyman Tom Calderon, is charged with money laundering.

Miller said he sent an email to Calderon’s attorney warning he probably would oppose any further continuances, according to the court filing.

“In the interest of full disclosure and to provide notice, you should know that we are currently investigating pursuing a superseding indictment with additional charges against both defendants,” Miller wrote in the email, according to his court filing. “We point this out because, in the unlikely event we do not oppose the continuance, a delay in the trial date will obviously give us more time to pursue those charges.”

Prosecutors would not elaborate, and Mark Geragos, Ronald Calderon’s attorney, could not be immediately reached for comment.

The prosecutors provided a federal judge with a proposed order to deny a continuance in the trial.

“The fact that the government has not given the defense transcripts for the recordings contained in the additional discovery, has not provided the defense with a complete witness list, and may provide the defense with additional discovery as the trial date approaches does not serve as a basis for a continuance at this time,” the proposed order says.