Last Wednesday, a federal judge said no to a request by former Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White and his co-defendant, George Hondrellis, to move their September 26th trial to a later date.

White and Hondrellis face charges including bribery and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. White is also charged with lying to an FBI agent.

GEORGE HONDRELLIS

Authorities have said White solicited bribes from Hondrellis, who owns a towing company, in exchange for help in getting his company on a list used by law enforcement agencies. White is the former chairman of the county’s Public Transportation Commission.

The motion to delay the trial was made by Hondrellis’ attorney, but White later joined the request.

The request was made by the defense teams who said they were having technical challenges in downloading 169 tapes that investigators said support their charges against both men.