The federal government’s case against suspected Islamic State adherent Nicholas Teausant may have moved one step closer Tuesday to resolution without a trial, as a prosecutor said she will seek permission from Washington, D.C., to offer a deal to the defendant.
In a brief hearing Tuesday morning in Sacramento’s downtown federal courthouse, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jean Hobler said prosecutors must seek approval from the Justice Department’s national security division before making an offer to Teausant and his lawyers.
That offer is expected to be made to Teausant’s defense team within a week, Hobler told U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez, who agreed to push the case back until Nov. 17, with the possibility of a guilty plea to an as-yet-undefined charge.
Assistant Federal Defender Matthew Scoble told the judge lawyers are “cautiously optimistic” a resolution of the case can be reached.