The case of Jonathan Ortiz—the 19-year-old man charged with beating his girlfriend's 4-year-old son to death at his parents' Vose Avenue home in April 2008—is subject to further delays due to the indictment of his attorney in federal court.

Paul Bergrin, a former federal prosecutor and prominent defense attorney based in Newark, has been charged with helping to arrange the murder of a witness, hiring a hit man to kill a second and encouraging other witnesses to lie to authorities or flee on behalf of his clients in a 14-count indictment.

According to Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, Bergrin had 59 clients with open cases in the county's Superior Court and 11 more awaiting sentencing. Due to the seriousness of the allegations against Bergrin—who also pled guilty earlier this month to conspiring to promote a prostitution ring—Ortiz will likely be instructed by a judge to seek new counsel.

"Without question, it's going to delay the case against Ortiz," said Loriquet, who added that the case is in now in limbo, with future court dates to be rescheduled.

Ortiz remains free on a $150,000 bail.