Former Newark Mayor Sharpe James waded through murky legal waters in a federal courtroom Wednesday.

James said he can?t afford high-profile attorney Raymond Brown in his corruption case. Brown represented the ex-mayor at his arraignment in July.

A U.S. District Court judge has granted a motion filed by Brown, asking for his removal from the case. James? other defense attorney, Thomas Ashley, is now his main attorney.

The judge also heard from the prosecution, which wanted Ashley off the case due to what it says is a conflict of interest. The prosecution said it would like to see Ashley as a witness in the case because James allegedly visited the lawyer using city-issued credit cards.

However, the judge denied the prosecution?s request to pull Ashley off the case. The judge also ruled Ashley cannot be called as a defense witness.

James, 71, pleaded not guilty to corruption charges in July. He is accused of using city-issued credit cards to pay for personal trips and expenses. He's also accused of engineering the cut-rate sale of city-owned properties to Tamika Riley, who is described by prosecutors as James? companion on many of his trips.

Related Information:Ex-Newark mayor pleads not guilty to corruption Ex-Newark mayor indicted on corruption charges