The DOJ already slow tracked I chargers to allow the statute of limitations to pass. I am no lawyer so serious question. Could the statute of limitations be allowed to run out even as he is under indictment? I could see the slimy bastards in the DOJ stretching this out to 10 years and then saying, “whoopsie, well, we can not prosecute anymore.”
But we all know “not guilty” is the most likely outcome. After all he was just a poor prosecuted victim of Trump and addicted to drugs.
The statute of limitations refers to the time period between when an offense is committed and the individual is charged (i.e., indicted.)
However, there are actions that can cause this time period to toll (stop running), and there are states and/or crimes for which there is no “statute of limitation.”
For the federal government, this time period is very generally five years, and that is one of the reasons why a “sealed indictment” might be issued, to stop this “clock” from running while keeping an investigation secret.
However, once an indictment is returned, “speedy trial” issues can come into play. How this applies to a sealed indictment is a bit murky, and even in somewhat routine criminal cases these can be complex issues to untangle and litigate.