Sentencing Of Overbilling Duo Delayed

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The sentencing of Doug Dowie and John Stodder, former staff of Fleishman-Hillard's Los Angeles office who were convicted of fraud last year, has been delayed pending further evidence on prosecution calculations of how long they should serve in federal prison. In 2002 it was revealed that the PR firm had been overbilling the Los Angeles Power and Water Department. In April 2005, Fleishman-Hillard agreed to pay $5.7 million to settle a lawsuit brought against it by the city of Los Angeles. Dowie's lawyer, Thomas E. Holliday, argued that others at F-H should have also been tried in addition to Dowie. "I'd be very interested to see people above [Dowie and Stodder] in court," U.S. District Judge Gary Feess said, but indicated Holliday's suggestion was irrelevant to the current case.