Case of Olyphant woman charged in Jan. 6 insurrection gets new judge

The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·1 min read
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Oct. 20—Accused Jan. 6 rioter Deborah Lynn Lee has a new federal judge to handle her upcoming trial.

A district court administrator in Washington, D.C., assigned U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia M. Faruqui to Lee's case.

Faruqui set an online status conference for Nov. 18 at 11:30 a.m. No trial date is set.

Lee, 56, charged only with misdemeanors, has rejected offers of a plea agreement and wants a trial. Magistrate judges can handle federal trials on misdemeanors. Attorney John M. Pierce, Lee's lawyer, requested a magistrate judge to replace U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson after Jackson rejected his motions to dismiss the case and have an out-of-town jury hear the case.

Faruqui previously handled the arraignment part of the Jan. 6 case of former Old Forge School Director Frank Scavo. Scavo later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was later sentenced to 60 days in prison by a district judge.

— BORYS KRAWCZENIUK