Arraignment for doping conspiracy defendants canceled because of coronavirus

An arraignment scheduled for Monday afternoon for many of the defendants in indictments unsealed two weeks ago alleging a wide-ranging conspiracy to dope racehorses has been canceled due to coronavirus and has not been rescheduled, according to documents in the case.

A document filed by the judge in the case on Sunday said that 17 of the 19 defendants in the indictment have already pleaded not guilty to the charges in the case and have waived their rights to a personal appearance. The plaintiffs that had been scheduled to appear on Monday included the trainers Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis, who have entered not-guilty pleas.

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The document said that the arraignment will be rescheduled telephonically at a later date.

“The court finds that in light of the COVID-19 health crisis, and in order to protect the health of all parties to the case and their counsel as well as the health of the public, the ends of justice served by exclusion of such time outweighs the interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial,” wrote the U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of Manhattan Mary Kay Vyskocil.

Servis, Navarro, and other defendants have been released on bond, but the defendants have all been prohibited from traveling or communicating with any other defendants in the case.