WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A Palm Beach County circuit judge has set a date for a hearing on whether Tim Ferriter should be released from jail while his attorneys appeal his conviction and prison sentence.
Judge Howard Coates has scheduled a hearing on the matter for Dec. 15 at 10:30 a.m.
Coates will likely hear from defense attorney Prya Murad and appellate attorney William R. Ponall on a fabricated job offer from Mazda of Palm Beach that was originally submitted to the court in a motion requesting Ferriter's release.
That motion was modified after it was revealed that no such offer existed.
WPTV reported last month, citing the court filing, that Ferriter had job offers from Mazda of Palm Beach and Dream Outdoor Properties.
However, Joshua S. Talcovitz, an attorney for Mazda of Palm Beach, sent a letter to WPTV advising that "such document is a complete and unequivocal forgery."
"At no time has Mr. Ferriter applied to Mazda of Palm Beach, let alone been given an offer of employment at the dealership," Talcovitz wrote. "Moreover, the letterhead appearing on the document is incorrect, as it is nothing more than a copy and paste of a website graphic."
Murad has maintained that she was unaware the job offer had been fabricated.
Ferriter, 48, was convicted last month on charges of child abuse, child neglect and false imprisonment.
Prosecutors convinced jurors during Ferriter's trial that he treated his 14-year-old adopted son like a prisoner in their Jupiter home, forcing the boy to sleep in an 8x8 windowless room in the garage with nothing but a mattress, a desk and a bucket in which to defecate. The only time he was allowed out was to go to school.
Coates sentenced Ferriter to five years in prison, which was less than what the state had sought but more than his attorneys had requested.
Defense attorneys unsuccessfully sought to have Ferriter released from jail while he awaited sentencing, but Coates denied the request.
The Fourth District Court of Appeal will decide whether Ferriter should receive a new trial.
Meanwhile, a January court filing revealed that Ferriter is being sued by his former attorney, Nellie King. The complaint alleges that Ferriter "retained new counsel to represent him" in October 2022 "and has refused to pay the final installment of $62,500" as required under the agreement he signed with King shortly after his March 2022 arrest.
Ferriter's wife, Tracy Ferriter, is facing the same charges and still awaiting trial.