By: (AP) A television reporter has asked a federal judge to release him early from the home-confinement sentence he is serving for criminal contempt.
In papers filed in U.S. District Court last week, Jim Taricani asked to be released Saturday, the four-month mark in his sentence. U.S. District Judge Ernest Torres had not acted on the request by Wednesday.
Taricani, who works for WJAR-TV, was sentenced to six months for refusing to reveal who gave him a videotape that showed former mayoral aide Frank Corrente taking a cash bribe. The videotape was protected by court order as part of a federal investigation into corruption in City Hall.
In seeking early release, Taricani said he has abided by all the conditions of his confinement, which included a ban on him working, giving media interviews, or using the Internet. He has been confined since Dec. 9.
Six days after Taricani was found guilty, his source, defense lawyer Joseph Bevilacqua Jr., admitted he had given Taricani the tape. Bevilacqua had previously denied under oath that he had been Taricani's source and is now the subject of a criminal investigation.
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