Ames’ Wife Seeks Postponement of Sentencing on Lesser Spy Counts
The wife of convicted CIA spy Aldrich H. Ames asked Thursday that her sentencing this morning on lesser espionage charges be postponed for 30 days because she has hired a new defense lawyer.
Federal prosecutors did not object, and U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton granted her request. Rosario Ames, 41, who entered a guilty plea along with her husband in April, gave no reason for her change of attorneys.
Sources close to the case said no problems had arisen during interrogation sessions with Aldrich Ames, and that Rosario Ames simply got “cold feet” as she approached her sentencing and “wanted a second opinion from another lawyer.”
As part of the couple’s negotiated plea agreement, Aldrich Ames, 52, received a sentence of life imprisonment without parole but Rosario Ames was scheduled to be sentenced today to a lenient term of about five years. Federal sources said the lighter term was virtually assured because Aldrich Ames had given “full cooperation” to the government in disclosing his activities in recent months.
John P. Hume, Rosario Ames’ new lawyer, said his client has no intention of changing her guilty plea.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
