The lawyer for Muncie's building commissioner is asking for several months to prepare a defense against federal charges of wire fraud, theft, and money laundering.
A federal grand jury indicted Craig Nichols of Selma on Feb. 15 on allegations that he used sham bidding practices and submitting fake invoices to steer work to his companies and then bill the city more than $376,000 for demolition work that wasn't done or was performed at inflated prices.
The (Muncie) Star Press reports defense attorney Scott Shockley asked a federal judge in Indianapolis to delay Nichols' possible trial until at least mid-August. The request says the charges are complex and that the defense will need to conduct extensive research and numerous witness interviews.
Shockley has denied any wrongdoing by Nichols.