RALEIGH — Trial for McCrae Dowless on charges related to Social Security has been delayed.

The trial had been scheduled for Monday of next week. A judge granted a request from the prosecution, made because of a change in personnel, to delay it for 60 days.

There was no opposition from the legal team representing the Bladenboro suspect.

Dowless pleaded not guily in a federal courtroom on Jan. 29 to four counts of hiding more than $100,000 in income from the Social Security Administration, money prosecutors say was paid him by at least two candidates in the 2018 election. Dowless is accused of being the mastermind of an absentee ballot fraud operation in that election, according to witness testimony from a February 2019 evidentiary hearing conducted by the state Board of Elections.

The allegations led to three races, notably the 9th Congressional District involving the Rev. Mark Harris and Dan McCready, from being certfied. Two others were in Bladen County, one for county commissioner and one for the Soil & Water Conservation District board.

Dowless and 10 others were arrested after a state probe followed the hearing. The arrest, and subsequent grand jury indictment, connected to Social Security came later. He’s not been convicted of anything related to the election.

The federal charges against Dowless are because the income prosecutors say he hid from the Social Security Administration caused him to receive additional benefits. Dowless is approved to receive supplemental benefits, but prosecutors say he was getting more than $14,000 in disability and supplemental above what he was entitled.

District 9 included a portion of Bladen County at the time of the 2018 election. The county is now fully encompassed in District 7, which is represented by David Rouzer.

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @alanwooten19.