ABERDEEN – Suspended FBI agent Hal Neilson of Oxford will not get more time to prepare his defense, U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock says.

Monday, Neilson’s new attorney, Christi McCoy, asked to move his trial date so that she can limit her case load and spend more time getting ready for it.

He is scheduled for a jury trial Aug. 16 in Aberdeen.

In her order Tuesday, Aycock said she gave the continuance request “much consideration,” but decided against it.

Jury selection will begin at 9:40 a.m., the judge said in her order.

Neilson is accused of lying about his financial involvement with the new Oxford FBI office building. He pleaded guilty in February, then underwent triple-bypass heart surgery.

Soon after, he was granted a new trial date.

But a few weeks ago, his attorney, Ken Coghlan of Oxford, withdrew his representation and all documents he had filed in the case.

McCoy filed notice just recently that she is his new attorney.

In asking for more time, McCoy noted that as the only lawyer in her practice, she has a full trial load and needs at least 180 days to adequately prepare for Neilson’s trial.

She notes to Aycock that the prosecution’s investigation has gone on for some two years with indications that more than 40,000 documents must be reviewed and analyzed. And she says she’s still waiting for those documents.

Contact Patsy R. Brumfield at (662) 678-1596or patsy.brumfield@djournal.com.