Schoharie limo operator wants appeal fast-tracked by court
Nauman Hussain, who ran the limousine company involved in the 2018 crash that killed 20 people, walks outside during a lunch break in a new trial in Schoharie, N.Y., on Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo / Hans Pennink)
The man convicted of manslaughter in the 2018 Schoharie limo crash that killed 20 people is asking that an appeals court give his case priority.
Nauman Hussain was found guilty in May 2023 and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison for allowing the Ford Excursion stretch limousine to remain on the road – despite knowing that it was in bad condition. The brakes needed to be redone, and the vehicle had not been inspected.
Hussain has been in jail pending appeal.
Attorney Steven Sharp is appealing the conviction on the grounds of insufficient evidence and that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence, according to his filing.
He is requesting that the case be given preference for the Appellate Division Third Judicial Department’s September term.
Sharp wrote that hearing the appeal at an earlier time will prevent Hussain from serving more time than he already has, if the court reduces his convictions to criminally negligent homicide.
Hussain will have already served the minimum sentence for criminally negligent homicide by the court’s September term.
The Times Union was first to report the story.