A federal judge has ordered resentencing for a man convicted of manslaughter after finding that the state judge who presided over his trial appeared to be vindictive in applying the maximum 25-year term.
Eastern District Judge Joseph Bianco (See Profile), sitting in Central Islip, ordered that Raul Izaguirre be resentenced before a different state judge after finding that there was “a reasonable likelihood of actual vindictiveness” by Nassau County Court Judge Meryl Berkowitz (See Profile), who presided over Izaguirre’s 2005 trial and sentencing.
