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 Post subject: Re: 92 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 1:21 am 
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A partial list of Lake County Politicians, influential power brokers, some who have been convicted, others under indictment. I will add to this list from time to time as info becomes available. :(

Sources include publications such as the Hammond Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Suntimes, Gary Tribune Post and other media sources.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/article_decbcc06-e795-5b8c-a43b-0036497fa9cd.html


CONVICTED unless otherwise indicated

1. R. O. Johnson, Mayor of Gary Johnson was convicted by the feds in 1923 of conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act. He began serving his sentence in 1925. President Calvin Coolidge, having sympathy for his plight, granted him a pardon after his release. He ran 2 more times, successfully, for mayor. Evidently the citizenry, not surprisingly, did not hold his conviction against him? http://gdynets.webng.com/Good_Gov.htm

2. Stephen R. Goot, a Hammond Attorney received a 20-year sentence, one of the stiffest given to the 16 people convicted in the Operation Bar Tab investigation of corruption in Lake County courts. Goot served as the Hammond water board lawyer until the federal investigation that led to his conviction on ticket fixing. (1991). http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/article_c9e38ff7-e7e9-5f94-a9de-dd4002bcd2b3.html

3. Nick Morfas. Goot as we have read above was convicted at federal trial. The principal official with whom Goot interacted and conspired was deputy prosecutor Nick Morfas. Goot pleaded not guilty and went to trial; Morfas pleaded guilty and testified against Goot.

Morfas would steal and destroy the prosecutor's file. Sometimes Morfas would steal and destroy the court's file as well. Once the time for refiling had passed without any further action taken by the prosecutor, Goot would file a second motion to dismiss, which would be granted. A check then would be issued by the prosecutor's office to Goot, the holder of the bond receipt, but payable to the person who initially posted the bond. Goot would give this check to Morfas who would forge the payee's signature and retain the funds as his share in the scheme.

In some cases, Morfas would represent himself to DUI defendants as an attorney, sign Goot's name to the paper work or have Goot sign his name, and then steal the files and collect the fees. Morfas needed to use Goot's name because he could not use his own, being a deputy prosecutor. As a quid pro quo, Morfas either would help Goot with one of Goot's cases or would pay Goot a share of the fees. http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/america-plaintiff-stephen-goot-defendant-37294529

The jury found Goot guilty on both counts and he was sentenced to two concurrent twenty-year prison terms (the statutory maximum on each count) and a $25,000.00 fine. Morfas, who was sentenced later, got four years and a $6000.00 fine.

4. Metro Holovachke, former prosecuting attorney of Lake County, Indiana, all on tax charges. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

5. George Chacharis, Mayor of Gary, Indiana, who in approximately 1963, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to report and pay taxes on more than $250, 000 in payoffs from construction firms. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

6. Unsolved Murder: Hammond detectives have no doubts about who fired the fatal bullet into the back of Henry "Babe" Lopez's neck in 1979. They said they know without question who dropped a basketball-sized rock onto the gas pedal of the former East Chicago parks superintendent's city-owned vehicle, propelling his dead body into the Grand Calumet River.

Yet, 30 years later, Lopez's family still lives without closure. "They believed Babe Lopez was cooperating with the federal government investigation into corruption in East Chicago," Solan told The Times. "Babe Lopez was not cooperating, and that belief cost Babe his life."

Dec. 12, 1979, the last day Lopez was seen alive Former City Clerk Charles Pacurar, now East Chicago's city controller, told Hammond police in 1980 that Lopez's death may have been related to $900,000 in Park and Recreation Bond funds.
In 1974, before Lopez was parks superintendent, the City Council moved $900,000 to park development line item 713 in the budget, records state. Pacurar told police that line item did not exist.

The State Board of Accounts repeatedly questioned how the park bond money had been spent, state audits from 1977 to 1983 show. The board's field examiners asked then-City Controller James Knight to determine whether the funds had been used for the purpose for which the bonds were issued. As of Aug. 19, 1982, Knight had not replied, records state.

Numerous sources told police they believed Edelmiro "Corfi" DeJesus was involved in Lopez's death. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and city and county authorities in Illinois and Indiana believed DeJesus was a mob assassin involved in numerous illegal activities, records state.

DeJesus was shot and killed execution-style May 27, 1980 -- four months after Lopez's body was found. His death is still unsolved, East Chicago Police Chief Gus Flores said.

Summers said he believes DeJesus and his cronies were responsible for executing Lopez's murder. Then DeJesus was killed because he was mouthing off about killing Lopez, Summers added. Other sources contend the murder was drug-related.
But questions remained: Why was Lopez murdered? Who ordered the hit?

Summers recently told The Times the investigation into Lopez's murder "always pointed just straight in one direction" -- toward Vince Kirrin. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_3e42b286-61f5-593b-9f9c-f334a8a600be.html

Not directly related to the above piece, Hammond’s Mayor, Thomas McDermott Jr, in recent Indiana State Board of Account Audits, has refused to answer several questions asked by Auditors.

7. Unsolved Murder: East Chicago political insider Jay Given was shot , assignation style, attending a fund raiser for up and coming politician N. Atterson Spann, inside the vestibule of the Jockey Club. 30 years later, the case remains unsolved, but evidence points to a high-ranking former East Chicago police official who it’s alleged had a long term political beef with Givens. Interesting reading http://www.nwitimes.com/news/foreign-language/politico-given-murder-remains-unsolved-nearly-years-later/article_b6ddb22f-d8d7-5e20-b6a4-9ca7bbc4f50b.html

One woman, opted to spend 10 days in jail for contempt of court rather than cooperate fully with investigators. Investigators said they thought the Jockey Club worker was holding out important information. The woman felt like a "lost ball in tall weeds, ... (and) just wanted to forget that entire night," she told police. She had learned to see and not see, she said, because "in East Chicago, two people could be standing side-by-side, one could have his head blown off and the other would not have seen a thing."

8. Dr. John Nicosia, who served as East Chicago mayor from 1963 to 1971, was convicted in the late 1970s in connection with a $1 million sewer construction kickback scheme. http://www.indianabusinessnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=61424

9. In September, 1982, Alfred T. Willardo, (Respondent) was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury for Theft, a Class D Felony. The Respondent pled not guilty, was tried by a jury and, on February 9, 1983, was found guilty of Theft, a Class D Felony. On March 3, 1983, the trial court entered judgment against the Respondent finding him guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 35-20-2-7. The Respondent was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, to probation for one year, restitution, and was further required to resign as Coroner.

The indictment and conviction stemmed from Respondent's diversion of county funds into his campaign account. The Respondent had directed his former office manager and chief deputy to falsify and file mileage claims, some signed by the Respondent himself, the funds from which were eventually funneled into Respondent's campaign account.

The Respondent took an appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. A petition for rehearing and a petition to transfer to this Court were subsequently denied. http://in.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19860605_0030577.IN.htm/qx

Note, I have looked for a appeal reversal on the conviction, but did not find one.

10. Michael Jankovich, 76, of Hobart, former Lake County assessor and longtime local Democratic power: sentenced to prison for 6 years, fined $250,000 and ordered to forfeit $11,700 in bribe receipts, after pleading guilty to charges of racketeering and extortion in soliciting bribes from businessmen in return for cutting their tax bills. Approximately 1986.

11. Frank A.J. Stodola, 66, of Hammond, a former judge and county commissioner: sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering and extortion and ordered to forfeit $10,800 in bribe money, amid charges that he sold his commissioner`s office to the highest bidder. Approximately 1986.

12. Lake County Judge Orval Anderson, was convicted of perjury (1986) for his testimony at the trial of a court administrator. The conviction was associated with Operation Bar Tab. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court

13. Former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei was convicted of extortion while serving as sheriff in 1985. He entered the witness protection plan with his wife in about 1986. Interesting article by the Chicago Tribune on Bartolomei's rise to power and fall from political graces: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-11-13/features/8802160613_1_jail-lake-county-highest-bidder

14. Roland D. Watson, former deputy assessor of Calumet Township, which includes the city of Gary Watson, 37, of Gary, pled guilty of having conspired to share in bribes paid by businessmen to win tax breaks for their properties.

15. Carol Sinks, 42, an East Chicago woman, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge James Clement. Sinks was fined $1,000 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence Tuesday after admitting her part in a ghost payroll scheme in Hammond.

Sinks and the late John Klobuchar, a former North Township trustee, were accused of theft, ghost employment and conspiracy in a scheme in which Klobuchar hired Sinks to manage the township`s Hammond office at a $20,500 salary while the woman was working full time for a construction company. It had been reported Klobuchar and Sinks were in a relationship. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-13/news/8903170714_1_sinks-scheme-ghost

Klobuchar died before the case went to trial, but Lake County Prosecutor Jon DeGuilio said the guilty plea gave ``credibility to our ghost-payrolling statute.`

16. Unsolved Murder: The bodies of a man and woman found burned in a car on Gary`s south side are believed to be those of a sheriff`s deputy and his wife, authorities said Monday. The deputy had been active in several federal investigations and was scheduled to testify in an upcoming federal racketeering trial. The victims are Cpl. Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa.

Rosser was to testify in the trial of a Merrillville councilman and suspended sheriff`s officer who is accused of involvement in a shakedown racket. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-01-16/news/9001040803_1_bodies-sheriff-s-spokesman-police

On January 22, 1990, Magistrate Andrew P. Rodovich entered an order revoking Mokol's bond and detaining him pending trial as he found "there is probable cause to believe that Mr. Mokol was involved in the deaths of the Rossers [Rosser's wife also was murdered] in violation of the terms and conditions of his release." http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/

17. Michael Mokol Sr, 48, a 19-year police veteran and former Merrillville town trustee, had been convicted of funneling $33,000 in bribes to former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei, his political mentor. The payoffs in 1984 and 1985 came from Reginald P. Kinkade, an East Chicago distributor of video poker machines.

The money, in the form of political contributions, went to Sheriff Bartolomei through Mokol, buying protection from gambling raids. At the time the machines were operating legally in scores of taverns, clubs and fraternal halls in the county. Kinkade, however, paid bribes to police to avoid investigation, according to trial testimony.

Mokol was sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James Moody, an angry federal judge who said society ``has a right to strike back`` at corrupt law officers. In sentencing Mokol for bribery, Moody said he was sending a message to the 190 sheriff`s police officers and 850 other law officers in local communities throughout the county that bribery is intolerable. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-27/news/9003030302_1_gambling-raids-police-officers-law-officers

As another side note, found in a blog, http://bluecountyredstate.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-problems-at-lake-county-sheriffs.html is a very vivid, although not verifiable description of how Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa, his wife may have met their death. My bet Mokol Jr may have been involved.

Per an Anonymous poster, posting on Buzzcut's blog writes:
Buzz,

Let me share with you and your readers on how horrible the crime that was committed on Gary & Teresa Rosser.

Gary was part of the investigation of “Operation Lights Out.” This was Officer Gary Rosser’s third or fourth secret operation into the corruption in Lake County. It is also the one he feared the most for his safety, and for good reasons.

Officer Gary Rosser was set to testify against, SGT. Mike Mokol Sr. (a Merrillville councilman who at one time was chief of the sheriff`s police) Unbeknownst Officer Gary Rosser, Mike Mokol Sr. had taken a contract hit out on his life for $10,000.

Officer Rosser was lured into a false real estate deal by his so called friend, George Swetkey (see immediate posting below), who was paid by Mike Mokol Sr. to do the deadly deed.

First they kidnapped Gary’s wife Teresa. They beat her, they raped her and they took pictures of what they did to her.

They then set up a meeting at the Red Rooster restaurant with Officer Rosser. They told Officer Rosser that they had beaten his wife and if he didn’t leave peacefully, they would order her killed.

When they got Officer Rosser to the location where his wife, Teresa was, Officer Rosser tried to fight them off. He was beaten; stabbed; cuffed (both arms and legs) and they tied a noose over his neck to choke him. When this didn’t kill him they shot him several times.

They then stuffed Officer Rosser and his wife into the car in which they would be found. When they set the car on fire, Officer Gary Rosser was still alive. His lungs had smoke inhalation.

Gary left behind two children, his mother Ruby, died six months later of a broken heart.

Teresa had three children, who a year later became orphans after losing their father (Teresa’s first husband) to a heart attack at age 33, which many attributed to the stress of this situation.

And to think that 21 years later, the Lake County Sheriff’s department is being investigated for the same issues that destroyed the Rosser family…When will the citizens of this county stand up and quit supporting these criminal thugs!
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/
http://ftp.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/939/939.F2d.436.90-1777.html

17a. Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife.

``Any thought I have that he might somehow walk the streets again makes me shudder,`` said Judge James Letsinger of Lake County Superior Court, Crown Point, when he imposed the near-maximum prison terms for double murder. `This sentence is intended to see that he doesn`t.``

Swetkey, for his part, stood mute. ``I haven`t anything to say,`` he muttered softly.Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-08-25/news/9003110650_1_inherently-evil-person-murders-sentence

17b. As a interesting side note, Mike Mokol Jr., was very much like his father. Mokol Jr. - the serially arrested son of late Merrillville Town Councilman and Lake County Police Chief Michael Mokol Sr. Mokol Sr., was convicted in 1990 of federal racketeering and illegal gambling charges for taking money to provide police protection for illegal gambling operations. Molok Jr, a, convicted felon -- was sentenced to 262 months in prison and five years of supervised release. May 2010. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/3f068990-2d53-5b33-8824-ff231ebd1268.html

Mokol Jr., a convicted felon with a criminal history spanning three states, is charged in the federal case with three counts of possessing specific handguns and ammunition after his criminal convictions and one count of using a specific gun during a drug trafficking crime. Prosecutors claim he orchestrated burglaries that yielded the guns. He is specifically charged with possessing a 9-mm handgun and a .45-caliber handgun.

18. Alan Frost, introduced to Hammond, believed by the McDermot Sr Administration. There had been a question on how Frost readily acquired the abandoned JC Pennies building on Hohman Avenue. Frost had the full blessing of the city to remodel an old store downtown for a computer school that was supposed to bring hundreds of jobs to Hammond. He eventually went to prison after being convicted in Florida for scamming the federal government on that venture.

19. Stewart Roth, Hammond Sanitary district Supt. admitted to illegally discharging untreated waste into the Grand Calumet River. Roth plead guilty in July of 1990. Roth faced a possible prison term of 20 years and a fine of $40,000.

Problems at the plant came to the forefront in 1988, after a growing stench at the plant was reported by north side residents and a 9-foot-deep . . .an``island`` of untreated human waste in the Grand Calumet was discovered by environmentalists; that unprocessed volume ``as enough to fill the Exxon Valdez 185 times.....the raw sewage was enough to cover Hammond`s approximately 25 square miles 30 inches deep.

The investigation found that Roth had reported that 30 billion gallons of sewage had been processed by the plant from Jan. 1, 1986, through May 31, 1988, when only 12 billion gallons were treated. Why he did this was never disclosed. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-14/news/9002270497_1_raw-sewage-sanitary-board-treatment-plant
Roth apparently didn't learn from his first go around.

In 2012 Roth plead guilty in Federal Court for illegal dumping. Unfortunately Roth and others operated, undiscovered for years and years, dumping untreated waste in Hammond sewage system at a company owned site at 141st St. Hammond authorities were apparently unaware this site was dumping illegal waste for years and years. It appears the Hammond Officials never inspected the site. So much for Hammond’s inspectional services. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/12254534-418/manager-at-ec-business-admits-illegal-dumping.html

20. Peter Benjamin, former Lake County auditor and assessor, paying bribes to Lake County Councilman Troy Montgomery.

21. Troy Montgomery, former Lake County councilman, accepting Benjamin's bribes.

22. & 23. Lake County Judge Steven Bielak, 34, pleaded guilty in Hammond before U.S. District Judge James Moody. Bielak, A traffic court judge in Lake County, Ind., and Robert Balitewicz, 49, a court clerk pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges arising from a federal investigation of the disposition of drunk driving cases in northwest Indiana. 1991

The two had been charged by a federal grand jury in a 28-count indictment in June 1986, for failing to notify the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles of drunk-driving convictions as required by state law. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court http://www.justice.gov/osg/briefs/1989/sg890014.txt

24. Former Hammond City Controller Edward Brown, has pleaded guilty to income-tax charges and had cooperated with federal authorities. Brown, 42, was charged in April (1991) by the U.S. attorney's office for failure to report all his income for calendar year 1985.

June 1991, a full six years after his income tax evasion, Former city Controller Edward A. Brown implicated himself and others Thursday in a bribery scheme to protect video-poker gambling in Hammond. Brown, 42, of Hammond was pleading guilty before U.S. District Court Judge James Moody to a felony tax-fraud charge that he failed to disclose protection money he received from Reginald Kinkade.

He said Kinkade, owner of Variety Amusement Co. of East Chicago, gave him up to $4,000 each month from the fall of 1984 to the end of 1985 to keep police from seizing about 50 poker machines …

25. Glenn Kuipers, a former executive director of East Chicago's Tri-City Mental Health Center, and Noah Atterson Spann, a former county commissioner from the city, were indicted in the late 1980s for bribery and bilking taxpayers in connection with publicly buying an East Chicago nursing home at an exorbitant price.

Kuipers and his wife entered the federal witness protection program after he pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Spann, who went to prison in 1988. He finished his sentence 11 years later, was hired by former Mayor Robert Pastrick to run his 1999 re-election campaign and later was named director of community services.

26. Vince Kirrin, an East known as a back-room politician who wielded immense influence over East Chicago and Lake County politics. Kirrin was indicted during a federal investigation into corruption in Lake County and served time in prison for conspiracy and mail fraud convictions. Kirrin died in 1998. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-07-20/news/9103210240_1_bribes-cleaning-tax-fraud

Kirrin said he used elbow grease to vigorously clean the Lake County (Ind.) government center, transforming the courthouse, jail and office building ``from a pigsty into a showpiece.`` 1985-86 contract, which went to a firm nominally headed by his nephew, Joe Macko.

Macko testified that his uncle surprised him with a gift of $2,000 only days before he was called to testify under subpoena about the cleaning contract before a federal grand jury. Capp said the money was a bribe. Macko admitted he had no experience cleaning public buildings, unless``GI parties in the military`` was a qualifier. He said he performed no executive duties, and had no office.

The government contended that, in order to get the contract, Kirrin paid $30,000 in bribes to Lake County Commissioner Steve Corey. Corey denied the charge, saying any money from Kirrin was nothing more than a loan to the his family`s bakery business, and the loan had been repaid.

Former County Commissioner N. Atterson Spann testified against Kirrin, saying he and Corey were aware of Kirrin`s behind-the-scenes role. Spann is serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for taking bribes to influence county business. He said he hoped his testimony would earn him a sentence reduction.

But a federal court jury in Hammond convicted the East Chicago businessman of paying bribes to win a $246,000-a-year, no-bid contract to clean the center. Kirrin wished to avoid the public spotlight, said Capp, because he already was receiving up to $660,000 a year in county printing business.

27. Noah Atterson Spann, 48, of East Chicago, the highest elected black county executive and a fellow county commissioner with Bartolomei: sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, fined $25,000 and ordered to forfeit $29,615 in payoff money.

28. Rudy Byron, 51, of Gary, a Spann protégé and former Lake County inspector: sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined $15,000 for accepting payoffs to help two janitorial firms get lucrative county contracts and for concealing payments of $50,000 from his income-tax returns.

29. East Chicago City Councilman Frank Kollintzas, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds, lying to the FBI. Frankie chose to flee to Greece. As a Greek national Frankie is exempt from extradition by Greece law. 11 years.

30. East Chicago City Councilman Joe De La Cruz, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. 6 years.

31. East Chicago City Controller Edwardo Maldonado, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. Convicted a second time in July 2006 for using public money to pay his defense attorneys. 130 months.

32. East Chicago City Councilman Adrian Santos, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy in connection with the $24 million sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

33. Joel Markovich, former Lake County councilman and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 18 months.

34. Robert J. Velligan, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

35. Marilyn and Gregory J. Gill, contractors, tax and bankruptcy fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

36. Dimitrios Sazalis, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

37. East Chicago Parks Superintendent Jose Valdez Jr., fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

38. East Chicago City Engineer Pedro Porras, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

39. East Chicago City Councilman Randall Artis, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

40. Terrance Artis, brother of Randall Artis and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 5 months.

41. Gerry Nannenga, former carpenter's union official, accepting bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

42. Kevin Pastrick, son of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

On May 2, 2005. Pastrick began serving his federal prison term for paying Gerry Nannenga, a former executive secretary and business manager for the Northwest Indiana District Council of Carpenters, bribes to influence the investment of $10 million of carpenters' pension money in Coffee Creek, a Porter County land deal that earned Pastrick $600,000 in commissions.

Nannenga pleaded guilty to accepting bribes last year and awaits sentencing April 8. Peter Manous, a former chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party and friend of Pastrick, is serving a 27-month sentence for his role as a go-between in the bribery and its cover-up.

A federal jury convicted Kevin Pastrick's business partner, 58-year-old Carl Paul Ihle Jr., of Lakes of the Four Seasons, of attempting to cover up the bribery investigation with lies and fraudulent documents. A judge sentenced him to 21 months in prison.

Pastrick also must pay a $177,500 fine in the federal case. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/pastrick-prostitution-charge-dropped/article_03ac73bf-2e76-5972-a1a9-acab8ba9e36f.html

43. Peter Manous, former Indiana Democratic chairman, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

44. Carl Paul Ihle Jr., co-owner with Kevin Pastrick of Sand Creek Sales, forging documents and lying about the Coffee Creek land deal.

45. & 46. Katie Hall and Junifer Hall, In May 2002, Katie Hall, again serving as Gary City Clerk, and her daughter, Chief Deputy Clerk Junifer Hall, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, extortion, and mail fraud.

Junifer Hall was also charged with five counts of perjury. Hall eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to house arrest and probation. Junifer Hall was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Gary city clerk, was convicted of extorting $19,000 in campaign contributions from office employees. Hall was Indiana's first African-American member of Congress. Someone in her office reached out to federal authorities asking for relief.

47. Jojuana Meeks, embezzling money from Gary Urban Enterprise Association. This embezzlement involved millions, upon millions of dollars, diverted from its original use to revitalize Gary for personal use. A common theme in NWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Urban_Enterprise_Association

48. Wanda Joshua, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township.

49. Charmaine Pratchett, embezzling money from GUEA.

50. Derrick Earls, embezzling from GUEA board.

51. Johnnie Wright, embezzling from GUEA board.

52. Greg Hill, contractor who didn't report GUEA income.

53. Will Smith Jr., Lake County Council president, tax evasion for a questionable land deal with GUEA.

54. Roosevelt Powell, former delinquent tax collector for Lake County, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

55. Former East Chicago Police Chief Edward Samuels, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

56. East Chicago Building Commission Miguel "Mike" Arredondo, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

57. Gary City Parks Superintendent Kimberly Lyles, lying to federal agents about influence peddling.

58. Assistant County Building Administrator Jan Allison, extortion.

59. G. Gregory Cvitkovich, former North Township trustee, tax fraud.

60. James H. Fife III, a former special assistant to the East Chicago mayor, federal tax fraud.

61. Karen Krahn-Fife, federal tax fraud.

62. Robert White, Gary city councilman, fraud.

63. Lake County Recorder Morris Carter, extortion.

64. Paul Hernandez, union fraud and corruption.

65. Ken Castaldi, union fraud and corruption.

66. Otho Lyles III, tax evasion and lying to FBI in Gary City Hall investigation.

67. Jewell Harris Sr Convicted of double-billing Gary for debris-hauling work at The Steel Yard stadium. Harris was once one of the most powerful political figures in Gary. Harris, former Mayor Scott King’s campaign manager until the two had a bitter split, had been charged with seven counts of money laundering and mail and wire fraud stemming from work Harris did hauling debris from the stadium site in 2001. Convicted that he bilked the city out of $1.5 million while working on the $45 million baseball stadium.

68. Willie Harris, Gary attorney, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

69. Bob Cantrell , a long time East Chicago political operative. Cantrell was reportedly behind McDermott Sr first run for Hammond Mayor, was convicted of tax evasion and insurance fraud. Cantrell used his influence with area elected officials, judges., etc to obtain contracts for a counseling company owned and operated by Nancy Fromm. Cantrell's income was reported in federal transcripts to be over $200,000 a year. Who says crime doesn't pay?

70. Nancy Fromm, addiction counselor, lying to federal agents. Fromm reportedly derived substantial income for referrals tor her company, due to Bobby Cantrell's political connections.

71. Former Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga, fraud in using office to personally benefit her family business.

72. Ann Marie Karras , age 65 of Gary, guilty in April 2009 of two fraud counts for taking checks from a federal contract between 2000 and 2002. (Seven Years Later ) Karras was serving as Calumet Township as the Deputy of Finance.

Co-conspirators Calumet Township Trustee, Dozier T. Allen, Jr., and three of his senior employees at the trustee’s office, Wanda Joshua, and Albert Young, Jr. were charged and found guilty of mail fraud. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

73. Dozier Allen, Calumet Township Trustee, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township, found guilty.

74. Albert Young Jr., who signed a plea agreement and admitted guilt, to two years on probation, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

75. Morris Carter, County Recorder took a $1,000 bribe. http://articles.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010-08-25/news/28516846_1_schererville-town-judge-east-chicago-city-council-robert-pastrick

76. Jerry Haymon has plead guilty, per court records, a year after their indictment on on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The defendants (Drago-Hunter, Jerry Haymon, Sheila Chandler and Phillip Rucker) were indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft accused of funneling the more than $300,000 to themselves between October 2007 and November 2008 by inflating the purchase prices of four Gary properties, faking buyers' financial security, forging loan documents and filing fake mechanic's liens against three of the four properties for work that never was done, federal records state.http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

77. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter, Gary HUD Official, October 6, 2011 was suspended for her October 2010 federal indictment for her suspected involvement in an alleged real estate fraud scheme. Drago-Hunter is responsible for administering millions of dollars of federal money to dozens of social service agencies. The former director of community development for the city of Gary admitted Friday morning (01/13/2011) in federal court to working with a local businessman in a mortgage fraud scheme that took in almost $200,000. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter plead guilty to one count of wire fraud.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/9993779-418/former-gary-official-pleads-guilty-to-mortgage-scheme.html

HUD spokesman Jerry Brown said. “Gary has to help itself by cleaning up its act. It’s going to take that type of commitment in building its track record if the city is going to continue getting federal funds.”
April 19th, 2012 sentenced to spend 15 months in prison in addition to paying restitution of almost $88,000, a federal judge ruled Thursday afternoon.

78. Sheila Chandler has plead guilty, per court records, a year after her indictment on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

79. Frederick M. Cuppy, 70, Merrillville’s former town attorney and Peter G. Rogan, 65, formerly of Valparaiso, were charged October 3rd, 2011 in Chicago in connection with their roles in hiding money from federal investigators and a bank, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago. Cuppy was charged with one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, three counts of perjury and three counts of obstruction of justice. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/8018706-418/former-merrillville-attorney-indicted-by-feds.html
Cuppy is accused of hiding funds so that Rogan could avoid paying $188 million in judgment awarded against him in 2006.

80. Marilyn Krusas, 69, a Gary City Councilwoman since 2000, was charged with one count of tax evasion. Federal authorities allege Krusas failed to file tax returns since 1991. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

In addition to failing to file returns, officials allege she failed to pay taxes on an inheritance she received in the 2009-2010 tax year. The inheritance was $230,000.Krusas was scheduled for her initial appearance at 12:45 today. Krusas plead guilty March 2013.

81. George Pabey, E. Chicago Mayor, convicted on stealing less than $15,000

82. Jose Camacho, East Chicago city employee conviction along with Pabey.

83. & 84. The former treasurer for East Chicago's public schools will plead guilty to receiving a bribe — a federal offense that could carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Francisco "Frank" Ramirez, 49, of East Chicago, exchanged a school contract with a local construction company for thousands of dollars in free home repairs, according to a plea agreement filed Monday. Ramirez and Geraldo "Jerry" Lozano, 34, of Hobart, were indicted Thursday. The indictment was unsealed Friday. Lozano, who owned Green Tree Builders, is charged with paying a bribe to an agent or local government receiving federal funds, while Ramirez was charged with receiving that bribe. In 2008, East Chicago's schools received more than $10,000 in federal funding. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-school-treasurer-to-plead-guilty-to-accepting/article_a7eff7f7-583a-5f59-a47a-9fa2a4d9a8f8.html#ixzz1p2QVuXvM

Ramirez plead guilty. To receive the most benefit from his plea agreement, Ramirez must provide information that leads to a separate criminal prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Bell said during the hearing. Lozano was convicted and received 21 months in a federal prison.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/17391282-418/lozano-gets-21-months-for-bribery.html

85. Thomas Philpot, has held several county offices for 21 years, and currently the Lake County Coroner, was convicted on 08/24/12 after a 5 day trial. Philpot received a 18 month sentence. Some believe Philpot may have shared information with authorities in exchange for such a short sentence. Philpot was convicted of pocketed more than $24,000 from Indiana's federally funded child support incentive funds. He controlled the funds between 2004 and 2009 while serving as Lake County clerk. The fund were intended, as bonuses for line staff. Philpot and his two administrative assistants apparently pocketed the vast majority of these funds over the years Philpot held the County Clerk's Office. Philpot's education as a licensed attorney and medical doctor/podiatrist, appeared to work against him at trial.

The law forbids elected officials from giving themselves such bonuses without the approval of the seven-member fiscal body called the County Council.

The conviction strips Philpot from office as county coroner and all but ends his public career, which includes election as county coroner in 1992, 1996 and 2008; election as county clerk in 2002 and 2006; and his unsuccessful campaigns for Hammond mayor in 1995 and 1999, and for sheriff in 2010.

Philpot turned himself in to serve his reduced sentence of 18 months on Tuesday, March 19th, 2013. Was someone talking and someone else listening? http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/philpot-guilty-on-all-five-counts/article_2ab1a901-230b-5114-8ebe-91b84326c1f3.html

86. Virlissa Crenshaw, 42, of East Chicago, is charged with theft (September 2011) from local government, with another count of filing a false tax return for 2009. Sentence to be determined. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

Crenshaw was a clerk with the Merrillville Town Court at the time of the offenses. She has already signed a plea agreement filed today (October 2012) admitting her guilt to stealing cash bonds. The loss to the Town of Merrillville was $176,763 and the tax loss to the federal government was $55,203.

87. The FBI raided George Van Till's Office in 2012 confiscating computer records. Mr. VanTil is the Lake County Surveyor. A Grand Jury has been chaired investigating some matter in his office. The specific focus of the grand jury is unknown.

The raid resulted in a criminal indictment (May 17th, 2013), two counts of obstruction of justice and six federal felony counts of wire fraud. A "tip" lead the authorities to the investigation. It's alleged VanTill hatched the plot between November '07 and December '12. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-van-til-indicted-for-using-public-employees-resources-for/article_00f8f717-4dd4-5856-8869-eebc1c121d80.html

On August 27th, 2013, The Northwest Indiana Gazette has confirmed with several reliable sources that George Van Til will plead guilty and will serve time in prison. Van Til was charged with 6 counts of wire fraud and 2 counts of obstruction of justice in May of this year. Sources close to the investigation tell the Gazette that Scott King has finalized a deal for Van Til to plead guilty to a single count, most likely Obstruction of Justice. http://northwestindianagazette.com/today/2013/08/vantil-to-plead-guilty-serve-time/

Video of the indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_SxbMDD2RQ

88. Alfonso Salinas Hammond 2nd District councilman in Hammond, was charged with receipt of a bribe by an agent of local government who was receiving federal funds.

Federal authorities allege that Salinas steered city tree cutting business to David Johnson, 56, of Munster, owner of Dave’s Tree Service. (Note David Johnson was a benefactor of the East Chicago Sidewalks for vote scandal, his company reportedly did hundreds of thousands of dollars of work in E. Chicago. Some say either McDermott or Cantrell or both brought Johnson into Hammond to continue the patronage tree).

Salinas is alleged to have steered $300,000 in casino funds that he had at his disposal to Johnson's company for tree cutting and tree removal work. Federal authorities further allege Salinas took a $10,500 kickback for steering the work Johnson’s way. Johnson was charged with payment of a bribe to an agent of local government. (Johnson later plead guilty). Salinas is also charged with four counts of willful failure to file tax returns from 2006 to 2009. Salinas agreed to a plea agreement on two counts April 2013.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

Salinas plead guilty in mid May 2013.

89. Juda Parks, 40, of East Chicago, is charged with two counts of failure to file income tax returns for years 2008 and 2009. Parks, and East Chicago City Councilman since 2008 and an East Chicago police officer, has signed a plea agreement admitting guilt on all charges.

Parks has agreed to cooperate with the federal government on other unspecified cases, according to federal authorities. (interesting statement) http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

90. Manuel Montalvo, 38, of East Chicago, is charged in an indictment with two counts of filing false tax returns for years 2009 and 2010. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

The indictment alleges that Montalvo, the former director of the East Chicago Public Library, overstated unreimbursed business expenses and medical and dental expenses. Those expenses amounted to $32,000 in medical and dental expenses and $47,000 in employee and business expenses over the two years.

reached a deal with federal prosecutors Friday (August 2nd, 2013), pleading guilty to one of two counts of filing a false federal tax return. Montalvo faces up to three years in prison and a maximum $100,000 fine, according to the plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Hammond.

Montalvo pleaded guilty to providing false information on his 2009 federal tax return by claiming $23,282 in unreimbursed business expenses. Specifically, Montalvo claimed business expenses for use of his vehicle, travel, meals, entertainment and other expenses in his position as library director. However, the East Chicago Public Library Board already had reimbursed him for all employee-related expenses. He received 24 months probation.

In addition, Montalvo admits to falsely claiming $17,063 in unreimbursed medical expenses, according to court documents. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/montalvo-pleads-guilty-to-one-count-of-tax-fraud/article_6bbc3132-05d1-55fd-b29d-ab871918ce3d.html

Montalvo, Lake County style has pending federal litigation against East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, claiming he was illegally fired as library director because of his political support for now imprisoned, former Mayor George Pabey. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-library-director-sentenced-to-months-probation/article_3176ecaf-a201-5182-85ae-da93c011bc73.html

91. Although not specifically a county employee, Roman Perez of Crown Point and owner of Roman Art, Inc. has plead guilty to tax evasion and making false statements under oath during a bankruptcy proceeding. Perez understated $100,100 of 2007 income, of which the feds report $80,000 of 2007 income came from the Lake County Commissary Fund. Exactly what "Roman Art, Inc." did or does will be posted at a later time.

Perez as part of his plea agreement, agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.

Video of Indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qphJKtY041c

92. An unnamed current sitting, elected county official who testified at the Philpot trial, reportedly has a sealed 2012 Grand Jury indictment.

93. And has a current grand jury been empaneled to review if sufficient evidence exist to charge a past county elected official?


Who do you think may be next?



Individuals and/or corporations named in the above links are presumed innocent unless a court of law finds otherwise.

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


Last edited by justcallmetommy on Sun Nov 10, 2013 6:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 92 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Sun Nov 10, 2013 6:41 am 
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As this list is getting rather long, I thought I would first post the new find by it self first & then add it to the list.

Dr Albert T. Willardo, was elected Coroner of Lake County, Indiana, in November, 1976, but did not assume the duties of a Coroner until January 1, 1978. For several years before becoming Coroner, he served as Deputy Coroner of Lake County.

In September, 1982, Willardo (Respondent) was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury for Theft, a Class D Felony. The Respondent pled not guilty, was tried by a jury and, on February 9, 1983, was found guilty of Theft, a Class D Felony. On March 3, 1983, the trial court entered judgment against the Respondent finding him guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 35-20-2-7. The Respondent was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, to probation for one year, restitution, and was further required to resign as Coroner.

The indictment and conviction stemmed from Respondent's diversion of county funds into his campaign account. The Respondent had directed his former office manager and chief deputy to falsify and file mileage claims, some signed by the Respondent himself, the funds from which were eventually funneled into Respondent's campaign account.

The Respondent took an appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. A petition for rehearing and a petition to transfer to this Court were subsequently denied.

Now I have looked for conviction reversal, but could not find one. If the conviction was reversed, I would appreciate if someone post notice of same.

It must be noted Willardo had a successful medical practice in NWI and I believe that practice was unmarred with legal complications.



Willardo & his wife owned, what some may not know, McDermott's Campaign headquarters used in the 2011 Hammond Mayoral campaign.

Willardo & his wife sold the building, transfer recorded on November 6th, 2012, to Pyramid Development for $700,000. On November 30th, 2012, Gregory Kaplan, President of Pyramid Development sold the building to Purdue Research Foundation less 24 days later for reportedly a cool $1,000,000. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9wHdhZzHgs7a1d1SldLYmxiQUk/edit?usp=sharing&pli=1

The Assessor's office had valued the building I believe in the $500,000 range. Assessor's numbers are many times off in value. Personally, I though the property was worth no more than $650,000 so a $700,000 sale is in the general ball park.

The question is, how did the value of this building increase, by appraisal, to $1,000,000 in 26 days? :smt002 Hell who cares, state and federal tax dollars paid for it. Yep, your state & FEDERAL tax dollars. :smt003



Quote:

http://in.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19860605_0030577.IN.htm/qx

06/05/86 MATTER ALBERT T. WILLARDO M.D.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIANA


June 5, 1986.

IN THE MATTER OF ALBERT T. WILLARDO, M.D.

Per Curiam.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION

This matter is before the Court on a Verified Complaint for Disciplinary Action charging the Respondent with engaging in illegal conduct involving moral turpitude, thereby violating Disciplinary Rules 1-102(A)(3), (4) and (6) of the Code of Professional Responsibility for Attorneys at Law. The Hearing Officer appointed pursuant to Admission and Discipline 23 has held a hearing and has submitted his findings and Conclusions; they have not been challenged by either party.

Upon review of said findings and record of the evidence, we now find that the Hearing Officer's findings should be adopted. Accordingly, we find that the Respondent, Albert T. Willardo, was admitted to the practice of law in Indiana on June 4, 1982. The Respondent has been a practicing physician for more than twenty years but has not practiced law since his admission in 1982. He was elected Coroner of Lake County, Indiana, in November, 1976, but did not assume the duties of a Coroner until January 1, 1978. For several years before becoming Coroner, he served as Deputy Coroner of Lake County.

In September, 1982, the Respondent was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury for Theft, a Class D Felony. The Respondent pled not guilty, was tried by a jury and, on February 9, 1983, was found guilty of Theft, a Class D Felony. On March 3, 1983, the trial court entered judgment against the Respondent finding him guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 35-20-2-7. The Respondent was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, to probation for one year, restitution, and was further required to resign as Coroner.

The indictment and conviction stemmed from Respondent's diversion of county funds into his campaign account. The Respondent had directed his former office manager and chief deputy to falsify and file mileage claims, some signed by the Respondent himself, the funds from which were eventually funneled into Respondent's campaign account.

The Respondent took an appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. A petition for rehearing and a petition to transfer to this Court were subsequently denied.


From these findings we conclude that the Respondent committed the illegal acts as charged. We, thus, conclude that the Respondent engaged in illegal conduct involving moral turpitude, in violation of Disciplinary Rule 1-102(A)(3). Such conduct involves dishonesty, fraud, and deceit and adversely reflects on Respondent's fitness to practice law, all in violation of Disciplinary Rules 1-102(A)(4) and (6) of the Code of Professional Responsibility for Attorneys at Law.

Upon concluding that the Respondent has violated the Code of Professional Responsibility for Attorneys at Law, we must determine the appropriate sanction. The findings reveal that the Respondent, while serving as a public official, through deceptive means, siphoned public funds for personal, political purposes. As an attorney, one is often placed in position of trust regarding client's funds, property and interests. The blatant disregard for the laws of this State, the lack of integrity and the breach of the public trust exhibited by the Respondent's conduct convince us that he is not qualified to retain the privilege to practice law in this state. We, therefore, conclude that the Respondent be and he hereby is disbarred.

Costs of this proceeding are assessed against the Respondent.

Disposition

Costs of this proceeding are assessed against the Respondent.

19860605

© 1998 VersusLaw Inc.


Quote:
http://www.leagle.com/decision/1984977460NE2d517_1957


IN MATTER OF WILLARDONo. 883 S 306.
460 N.E.2d 517 (1984)
In the matter of Albert T. WILLARDO.
Supreme Court of Indiana.
March 21, 1984.
ORDER OF SUSPENSION PENDING FINAL DETERMINATION

Come now the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission and Albert T. Willardo, the Respondent herein, and submit their "Joint Agreement on Suspension". And comes now the Hearing Officer appointed to hear this cause and submits, pursuant to Admission and Discipline Rule 23, Section 14(g), his "Recommendation of Suspension Pending Prosecution", which recommendation more fully appears in words and figures as follows, to wit:
(H.I.)

And this Court, being duly advised, now finds that the Hearing Officer's "Recommendation for Suspension Pending Prosecution" should be accepted and approved.

IT IS, THEREFORE, ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED by this Court that the Respondent, Albert T. Willardo, is hereby suspended from the practice of law in this State pending the final determination by this Court in the present case.

All Justices concur.

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


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 Post subject: Re: 92 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Sun Nov 10, 2013 7:22 pm 
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Article is just stored here for future reference.

Quote:

Quote:
http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/ex-county-officials-charged/article_0503d665-684c-59fa-8ec5-7454e3cf6b72.html

2 ex-county officials charged
Former recorder, chief deputy plead guilty to $500,000 money-laundering conspiracy
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May 20, 1999 12:00 am • ROBIN BIESEN

Former Lake County Recorder Robert Freeland and his chief deputy, Valerie Levy,

were charged Wednesday in connection with a money-laundering scheme that

reportedly originated in the Lake County recorder's office.

U.S. Attorney Jon DeGuilio said Freeland, 59, and Levy, 48, a member of the

Calumet Township Board, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of conspiracy

to commit money-laundering. Each could receive sentences of up to five years in

jail or fines of $500,000.

Neither Freeland nor Levy, who have had a longtime personal relationship, could

be reached Wednesday for comment.

DeGuilio said that from 1989, when Freeland took office, to June 1995, the two

crafted a scheme in which they allegedly diverted nearly $500,000 that would

have been paid to the county in copying fees from land title companies into a

pair of companies they created.

It was a practice federal officials said in court documents continued

throughout the tenure of Samuel Orlich in the recorder's office and for the

first six months of Margarette Cleveland's term as auditor. Cleveland became

recorder in 1995. Orlich left the recorder's office to become county auditor in

1995.

Orlich had become recorder in 1993 after Freeland's name was removed from the

1992 primary ballot because of a 1983 felony conviction. Freeland had refused

to allow Internal Revenue Service agents, who were taking control of his Gary

liquor store because of failure to pay taxes, to seize a shotgun. Freeland was

pardoned in 1994, then subsequenlty tried to become recorder again in 1995, but

lost to Cleveland. Freeland also ran unsuccessfully for County Commissioner in

1998.

It was while Cleveland was recorder that the practice apparently stopped,

according to DeGuilio and the federal documents.

.According to DeGuilio, a consortium of title companies led by Ticor Title

Insurance Co. collectively paid Microfilm Services and later Data Film $6,000 a

month. Both firms were created by Freeland and Levy.

Data Film was created after the reported owner of Microfilm Services, Ernest T.

Williams, died. Court records show Data Film was owned by Veronica Adams,

Levy's niece and a former employee of the recorder's office.

In exchange for the fee, the title companies were supposed to receive microfilm

copies of land documents. Microfilm copies of the documents were produced, but

not by Freeland's companies. Federal documents indicate county employees did

the work for which Freeland and Levy were paid.

Court documents show Levy took the title company checks that were sent to a

post office box and cashed them at NBD Bank, taking a majority of the proceeds

in cash.

County Recorder Morris Carter, who said he was aware of apparent wrongdoing

before he took office, called the circumstances that led to the FBI probe and

the indictments unfortunate.

"Coming into office, I took depositions from every employee. I felt it was the

best place to start. I knew there were some problems when I came into this

office," Carter said. "As it turned out, the statements were the key to this

ongoing investigation."

As the four-year-old investigation continues, there is evidence the probe may

be widening. FBI officials seized boxes of files relating to property

assessment appeals earlier this year.

"It is sad that law enforcement has to continually deal with public corruption

in Lake County," DeGuilio said. "Having been a part of county government, I

know there are many people who get a black eye because of this kind of conduct,

which is not representative of the many people in government."

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 10:42 am 
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Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 8:25 pm
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A partial list of Lake County Politicians, influential power brokers, some who have been convicted, others under indictment. I will add to this list from time to time as info becomes available. :(

Sources include publications such as the Hammond Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Suntimes, Gary Tribune Post and other media sources.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/article_decbcc06-e795-5b8c-a43b-0036497fa9cd.html


CONVICTED unless otherwise indicated

1. R. O. Johnson, Mayor of Gary Johnson was convicted by the feds in 1923 of conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act. He began serving his sentence in 1925. President Calvin Coolidge, having sympathy for his plight, granted him a pardon after his release. He ran 2 more times, successfully, for mayor. Evidently the citizenry, not surprisingly, did not hold his conviction against him? http://gdynets.webng.com/Good_Gov.htm

2. Stephen R. Goot, a Hammond Attorney received a 20-year sentence, one of the stiffest given to the 16 people convicted in the Operation Bar Tab investigation of corruption in Lake County courts. Goot served as the Hammond water board lawyer until the federal investigation that led to his conviction on ticket fixing. (1991). http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/article_c9e38ff7-e7e9-5f94-a9de-dd4002bcd2b3.html

3. Nick Morfas. Goot as we have read above was convicted at federal trial. The principal official with whom Goot interacted and conspired was deputy prosecutor Nick Morfas. Goot pleaded not guilty and went to trial; Morfas pleaded guilty and testified against Goot.

Morfas would steal and destroy the prosecutor's file. Sometimes Morfas would steal and destroy the court's file as well. Once the time for refiling had passed without any further action taken by the prosecutor, Goot would file a second motion to dismiss, which would be granted. A check then would be issued by the prosecutor's office to Goot, the holder of the bond receipt, but payable to the person who initially posted the bond. Goot would give this check to Morfas who would forge the payee's signature and retain the funds as his share in the scheme.

In some cases, Morfas would represent himself to DUI defendants as an attorney, sign Goot's name to the paper work or have Goot sign his name, and then steal the files and collect the fees. Morfas needed to use Goot's name because he could not use his own, being a deputy prosecutor. As a quid pro quo, Morfas either would help Goot with one of Goot's cases or would pay Goot a share of the fees. http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/america-plaintiff-stephen-goot-defendant-37294529

The jury found Goot guilty on both counts and he was sentenced to two concurrent twenty-year prison terms (the statutory maximum on each count) and a $25,000.00 fine. Morfas, who was sentenced later, got four years and a $6000.00 fine.

4. Metro Holovachke, former prosecuting attorney of Lake County, Indiana, all on tax charges. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

5. George Chacharis, Mayor of Gary, Indiana, who in approximately 1963, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to report and pay taxes on more than $250, 000 in payoffs from construction firms. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

6. Unsolved Murder: Hammond detectives have no doubts about who fired the fatal bullet into the back of Henry "Babe" Lopez's neck in 1979. They said they know without question who dropped a basketball-sized rock onto the gas pedal of the former East Chicago parks superintendent's city-owned vehicle, propelling his dead body into the Grand Calumet River.

Yet, 30 years later, Lopez's family still lives without closure. "They believed Babe Lopez was cooperating with the federal government investigation into corruption in East Chicago," Solan told The Times. "Babe Lopez was not cooperating, and that belief cost Babe his life."

Dec. 12, 1979, the last day Lopez was seen alive Former City Clerk Charles Pacurar, now East Chicago's city controller, told Hammond police in 1980 that Lopez's death may have been related to $900,000 in Park and Recreation Bond funds.
In 1974, before Lopez was parks superintendent, the City Council moved $900,000 to park development line item 713 in the budget, records state. Pacurar told police that line item did not exist.

The State Board of Accounts repeatedly questioned how the park bond money had been spent, state audits from 1977 to 1983 show. The board's field examiners asked then-City Controller James Knight to determine whether the funds had been used for the purpose for which the bonds were issued. As of Aug. 19, 1982, Knight had not replied, records state.

Numerous sources told police they believed Edelmiro "Corfi" DeJesus was involved in Lopez's death. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and city and county authorities in Illinois and Indiana believed DeJesus was a mob assassin involved in numerous illegal activities, records state.

DeJesus was shot and killed execution-style May 27, 1980 -- four months after Lopez's body was found. His death is still unsolved, East Chicago Police Chief Gus Flores said.

Summers said he believes DeJesus and his cronies were responsible for executing Lopez's murder. Then DeJesus was killed because he was mouthing off about killing Lopez, Summers added. Other sources contend the murder was drug-related.
But questions remained: Why was Lopez murdered? Who ordered the hit?

Summers recently told The Times the investigation into Lopez's murder "always pointed just straight in one direction" -- toward Vince Kirrin. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_3e42b286-61f5-593b-9f9c-f334a8a600be.html

Not directly related to the above piece, Hammond’s Mayor, Thomas McDermott Jr, in recent Indiana State Board of Account Audits, has refused to answer several questions asked by Auditors.

7. Unsolved Murder: East Chicago political insider Jay Given was shot , assignation style, attending a fund raiser for up and coming politician N. Atterson Spann, inside the vestibule of the Jockey Club. 30 years later, the case remains unsolved, but evidence points to a high-ranking former East Chicago police official who it’s alleged had a long term political beef with Givens. Interesting reading http://www.nwitimes.com/news/foreign-language/politico-given-murder-remains-unsolved-nearly-years-later/article_b6ddb22f-d8d7-5e20-b6a4-9ca7bbc4f50b.html

One woman, opted to spend 10 days in jail for contempt of court rather than cooperate fully with investigators. Investigators said they thought the Jockey Club worker was holding out important information. The woman felt like a "lost ball in tall weeds, ... (and) just wanted to forget that entire night," she told police. She had learned to see and not see, she said, because "in East Chicago, two people could be standing side-by-side, one could have his head blown off and the other would not have seen a thing."

8. Dr. John Nicosia, who served as East Chicago mayor from 1963 to 1971, was convicted in the late 1970s in connection with a $1 million sewer construction kickback scheme. http://www.indianabusinessnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=61424

9. In September, 1982, Alfred T. Willardo, (Respondent) was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury for Theft, a Class D Felony. The Respondent pled not guilty, was tried by a jury and, on February 9, 1983, was found guilty of Theft, a Class D Felony. On March 3, 1983, the trial court entered judgment against the Respondent finding him guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 35-20-2-7. The Respondent was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, to probation for one year, restitution, and was further required to resign as Coroner.

The indictment and conviction stemmed from Respondent's diversion of county funds into his campaign account. The Respondent had directed his former office manager and chief deputy to falsify and file mileage claims, some signed by the Respondent himself, the funds from which were eventually funneled into Respondent's campaign account.

The Respondent took an appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. A petition for rehearing and a petition to transfer to this Court were subsequently denied. http://in.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19860605_0030577.IN.htm/qx

Note, I have looked for a appeal reversal on the conviction, but did not find one.

10. Michael Jankovich, 76, of Hobart, former Lake County assessor and longtime local Democratic power: sentenced to prison for 6 years, fined $250,000 and ordered to forfeit $11,700 in bribe receipts, after pleading guilty to charges of racketeering and extortion in soliciting bribes from businessmen in return for cutting their tax bills. Approximately 1986.

11. Frank A.J. Stodola, 66, of Hammond, a former judge and county commissioner: sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering and extortion and ordered to forfeit $10,800 in bribe money, amid charges that he sold his commissioner`s office to the highest bidder. Approximately 1986.

12. Lake County Judge Orval Anderson, was convicted of perjury (1986) for his testimony at the trial of a court administrator. The conviction was associated with Operation Bar Tab. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court

13. Former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei was convicted of extortion while serving as sheriff in 1985. He entered the witness protection plan with his wife in about 1986. Interesting article by the Chicago Tribune on Bartolomei's rise to power and fall from political graces: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-11-13/features/8802160613_1_jail-lake-county-highest-bidder

14. Roland D. Watson, former deputy assessor of Calumet Township, which includes the city of Gary Watson, 37, of Gary, pled guilty of having conspired to share in bribes paid by businessmen to win tax breaks for their properties.

15. Carol Sinks, 42, an East Chicago woman, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge James Clement. Sinks was fined $1,000 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence Tuesday after admitting her part in a ghost payroll scheme in Hammond.

Sinks and the late John Klobuchar, a former North Township trustee, were accused of theft, ghost employment and conspiracy in a scheme in which Klobuchar hired Sinks to manage the township`s Hammond office at a $20,500 salary while the woman was working full time for a construction company. It had been reported Klobuchar and Sinks were in a relationship. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-13/news/8903170714_1_sinks-scheme-ghost

Klobuchar died before the case went to trial, but Lake County Prosecutor Jon DeGuilio said the guilty plea gave ``credibility to our ghost-payrolling statute.`

16. Unsolved Murder: The bodies of a man and woman found burned in a car on Gary`s south side are believed to be those of a sheriff`s deputy and his wife, authorities said Monday. The deputy had been active in several federal investigations and was scheduled to testify in an upcoming federal racketeering trial. The victims are Cpl. Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa.

Rosser was to testify in the trial of a Merrillville councilman and suspended sheriff`s officer who is accused of involvement in a shakedown racket. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-01-16/news/9001040803_1_bodies-sheriff-s-spokesman-police

On January 22, 1990, Magistrate Andrew P. Rodovich entered an order revoking Mokol's bond and detaining him pending trial as he found "there is probable cause to believe that Mr. Mokol was involved in the deaths of the Rossers [Rosser's wife also was murdered] in violation of the terms and conditions of his release." http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/

17. Michael Mokol Sr, 48, a 19-year police veteran and former Merrillville town trustee, had been convicted of funneling $33,000 in bribes to former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei, his political mentor. The payoffs in 1984 and 1985 came from Reginald P. Kinkade, an East Chicago distributor of video poker machines.

The money, in the form of political contributions, went to Sheriff Bartolomei through Mokol, buying protection from gambling raids. At the time the machines were operating legally in scores of taverns, clubs and fraternal halls in the county. Kinkade, however, paid bribes to police to avoid investigation, according to trial testimony.

Mokol was sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James Moody, an angry federal judge who said society ``has a right to strike back`` at corrupt law officers. In sentencing Mokol for bribery, Moody said he was sending a message to the 190 sheriff`s police officers and 850 other law officers in local communities throughout the county that bribery is intolerable. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-27/news/9003030302_1_gambling-raids-police-officers-law-officers

As another side note, found in a blog, http://bluecountyredstate.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-problems-at-lake-county-sheriffs.html is a very vivid, although not verifiable description of how Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa, his wife may have met their death. My bet Mokol Jr may have been involved.

There exist no supporting documentation the following anonymous poster's post, found on Buzz Cuts blog, has any fact to it. Exceptionally gruesome.
Buzz,

Let me share with you and your readers on how horrible the crime that was committed on Gary & Teresa Rosser.

Gary was part of the investigation of “Operation Lights Out.” This was Officer Gary Rosser’s third or fourth secret operation into the corruption in Lake County. It is also the one he feared the most for his safety, and for good reasons.

Officer Gary Rosser was set to testify against, SGT. Mike Mokol Sr. (a Merrillville councilman who at one time was chief of the sheriff`s police) Unbeknownst Officer Gary Rosser, Mike Mokol Sr. had taken a contract hit out on his life for $10,000.

Officer Rosser was lured into a false real estate deal by his so called friend, George Swetkey (see immediate posting below), who was paid by Mike Mokol Sr. to do the deadly deed.

First they kidnapped Gary’s wife Teresa. They beat her, they raped her and they took pictures of what they did to her.

They then set up a meeting at the Red Rooster restaurant with Officer Rosser. They told Officer Rosser that they had beaten his wife and if he didn’t leave peacefully, they would order her killed.

When they got Officer Rosser to the location where his wife, Teresa was, Officer Rosser tried to fight them off. He was beaten; stabbed; cuffed (both arms and legs) and they tied a noose over his neck to choke him. When this didn’t kill him they shot him several times.

They then stuffed Officer Rosser and his wife into the car in which they would be found. When they set the car on fire, Officer Gary Rosser was still alive. His lungs had smoke inhalation.

Gary left behind two children, his mother Ruby, died six months later of a broken heart.

Teresa had three children, who a year later became orphans after losing their father (Teresa’s first husband) to a heart attack at age 33, which many attributed to the stress of this situation.

And to think that 21 years later, the Lake County Sheriff’s department is being investigated for the same issues that destroyed the Rosser family…When will the citizens of this county stand up and quit supporting these criminal thugs!
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/
http://ftp.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/939/939.F2d.436.90-1777.html

17a. Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife.

``Any thought I have that he might somehow walk the streets again makes me shudder,`` said Judge James Letsinger of Lake County Superior Court, Crown Point, when he imposed the near-maximum prison terms for double murder. `This sentence is intended to see that he doesn`t.``

Swetkey, for his part, stood mute. ``I haven`t anything to say,`` he muttered softly.Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-08-25/news/9003110650_1_inherently-evil-person-murders-sentence

17b. As a interesting side note, Mike Mokol Jr., was very much like his father. Mokol Jr. - the serially arrested son of late Merrillville Town Councilman and Lake County Police Chief Michael Mokol Sr. Mokol Sr., was convicted in 1990 of federal racketeering and illegal gambling charges for taking money to provide police protection for illegal gambling operations. Molok Jr, a, convicted felon -- was sentenced to 262 months in prison and five years of supervised release. May 2010. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/3f068990-2d53-5b33-8824-ff231ebd1268.html

Mokol Jr., a convicted felon with a criminal history spanning three states, is charged in the federal case with three counts of possessing specific handguns and ammunition after his criminal convictions and one count of using a specific gun during a drug trafficking crime. Prosecutors claim he orchestrated burglaries that yielded the guns. He is specifically charged with possessing a 9-mm handgun and a .45-caliber handgun.

18. Alan Frost, introduced to Hammond, believed by the McDermot Sr Administration. There had been a question on how Frost readily acquired the abandoned JC Pennies building on Hohman Avenue. Frost had the full blessing of the city to remodel an old store downtown for a computer school that was supposed to bring hundreds of jobs to Hammond. He eventually went to prison after being convicted in Florida for scamming the federal government on that venture.

19. Stewart Roth, Hammond Sanitary district Supt. admitted to illegally discharging untreated waste into the Grand Calumet River. Roth plead guilty in July of 1990. Roth faced a possible prison term of 20 years and a fine of $40,000.

Problems at the plant came to the forefront in 1988, after a growing stench at the plant was reported by north side residents and a 9-foot-deep . . .an``island`` of untreated human waste in the Grand Calumet was discovered by environmentalists; that unprocessed volume ``as enough to fill the Exxon Valdez 185 times.....the raw sewage was enough to cover Hammond`s approximately 25 square miles 30 inches deep.

The investigation found that Roth had reported that 30 billion gallons of sewage had been processed by the plant from Jan. 1, 1986, through May 31, 1988, when only 12 billion gallons were treated. Why he did this was never disclosed. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-14/news/9002270497_1_raw-sewage-sanitary-board-treatment-plant
Roth apparently didn't learn from his first go around.

In 2012 Roth plead guilty in Federal Court for illegal dumping. Unfortunately Roth and others operated, undiscovered for years and years, dumping untreated waste in Hammond sewage system at a company owned site at 141st St. Hammond authorities were apparently unaware this site was dumping illegal waste for years and years. It appears the Hammond Officials never inspected the site. So much for Hammond’s inspectional services. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/12254534-418/manager-at-ec-business-admits-illegal-dumping.html

20. Peter Benjamin, former Lake County auditor and assessor, paying bribes to Lake County Councilman Troy Montgomery.

21. Troy Montgomery, former Lake County councilman, accepting Benjamin's bribes.

22. & 23. Lake County Judge Steven Bielak, 34, pleaded guilty in Hammond before U.S. District Judge James Moody. Bielak, A traffic court judge in Lake County, Ind., and Robert Balitewicz, 49, a court clerk pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges arising from a federal investigation of the disposition of drunk driving cases in northwest Indiana. 1991

The two had been charged by a federal grand jury in a 28-count indictment in June 1986, for failing to notify the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles of drunk-driving convictions as required by state law. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court http://www.justice.gov/osg/briefs/1989/sg890014.txt

24. Former Hammond City Controller Edward Brown, has pleaded guilty to income-tax charges and had cooperated with federal authorities. Brown, 42, was charged in April (1991) by the U.S. attorney's office for failure to report all his income for calendar year 1985.

June 1991, a full six years after his income tax evasion, Former city Controller Edward A. Brown implicated himself and others Thursday in a bribery scheme to protect video-poker gambling in Hammond. Brown, 42, of Hammond was pleading guilty before U.S. District Court Judge James Moody to a felony tax-fraud charge that he failed to disclose protection money he received from Reginald Kinkade.

He said Kinkade, owner of Variety Amusement Co. of East Chicago, gave him up to $4,000 each month from the fall of 1984 to the end of 1985 to keep police from seizing about 50 poker machines …

25. Glenn Kuipers, a former executive director of East Chicago's Tri-City Mental Health Center, and Noah Atterson Spann, a former county commissioner from the city, were indicted in the late 1980s for bribery and bilking taxpayers in connection with publicly buying an East Chicago nursing home at an exorbitant price.

Kuipers and his wife entered the federal witness protection program after he pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Spann, who went to prison in 1988. He finished his sentence 11 years later, was hired by former Mayor Robert Pastrick to run his 1999 re-election campaign and later was named director of community services.

26. Vince Kirrin, an East known as a back-room politician who wielded immense influence over East Chicago and Lake County politics. Kirrin was indicted during a federal investigation into corruption in Lake County and served time in prison for conspiracy and mail fraud convictions. Kirrin died in 1998. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-07-20/news/9103210240_1_bribes-cleaning-tax-fraud

Kirrin said he used elbow grease to vigorously clean the Lake County (Ind.) government center, transforming the courthouse, jail and office building ``from a pigsty into a showpiece.`` 1985-86 contract, which went to a firm nominally headed by his nephew, Joe Macko.

Macko testified that his uncle surprised him with a gift of $2,000 only days before he was called to testify under subpoena about the cleaning contract before a federal grand jury. Capp said the money was a bribe. Macko admitted he had no experience cleaning public buildings, unless``GI parties in the military`` was a qualifier. He said he performed no executive duties, and had no office.

The government contended that, in order to get the contract, Kirrin paid $30,000 in bribes to Lake County Commissioner Steve Corey. Corey denied the charge, saying any money from Kirrin was nothing more than a loan to the his family`s bakery business, and the loan had been repaid.

Former County Commissioner N. Atterson Spann testified against Kirrin, saying he and Corey were aware of Kirrin`s behind-the-scenes role. Spann is serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for taking bribes to influence county business. He said he hoped his testimony would earn him a sentence reduction.

But a federal court jury in Hammond convicted the East Chicago businessman of paying bribes to win a $246,000-a-year, no-bid contract to clean the center. Kirrin wished to avoid the public spotlight, said Capp, because he already was receiving up to $660,000 a year in county printing business.

27. & 28. Former Lake County Recorder Robert Freeland and his chief deputy, Valerie Levy, were charged Wednesday in connection with a money-laundering scheme that reportedly originated in the Lake County recorder's office. Article found in Northwest Indiana Times archives, when the Times was a real newspaper. Article dated May 20, 1999 12:00 am by ROBIN BIESEN. http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/ex-county-officials-charged/article_0503d665-684c-59fa-8ec5-7454e3cf6b72.html

According to DeGuilio, a consortium of title companies led by Ticor Title Insurance Co. collectively paid Microfilm Services and later Data Film $6,000 a month. Both firms were created by Freeland and Levy. Between 1989, when Freeland took office, to June 1995, the two crafted a scheme in which they allegedly diverted nearly 500,000 that would have been paid to the county in copying fees from land title companies into a pair of companies they created.

Data Film was created after the reported owner of Microfilm ervices, Ernest T. Williams, died. Court records show Data Film was owned by Veronica Adams, Levy's niece and a former employee of the recorder's office. In exchange for the fee, the title companies were supposed to receive microfilm copies of land documents. Microfilm copies of the documents were produced, but not by Freeland's companies. Federal documents indicate county employees did the work for which Freeland and Levy were paid.

Court documents show Levy took the title company checks that were sent to a post office box and cashed them at NBD Bank, taking a majority of the proceeds in cash.

U.S. Attorney Jon DeGuilio said Freeland, 59, and Levy, 48, a member of the Calumet Township Board, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit money-laundering. Each could receive sentences of up to five years in jail or fines of $500,000.

29. Noah Atterson Spann, 48, of East Chicago, the highest elected black county executive and a fellow county commissioner with Bartolomei: sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, fined $25,000 and ordered to forfeit $29,615 in payoff money.

28. Rudy Byron, 51, of Gary, a Spann protégé and former Lake County inspector: sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined $15,000 for accepting payoffs to help two janitorial firms get lucrative county contracts and for concealing payments of $50,000 from his income-tax returns.

30. East Chicago City Councilman Frank Kollintzas, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds, lying to the FBI. Frankie chose to flee to Greece. As a Greek national Frankie is exempt from extradition by Greece law. 11 years.

31. East Chicago City Councilman Joe De La Cruz, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. 6 years.

32. East Chicago City Controller Edwardo Maldonado, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. Convicted a second time in July 2006 for using public money to pay his defense attorneys. 130 months.

33. East Chicago City Councilman Adrian Santos, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy in connection with the $24 million sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

34. Joel Markovich, former Lake County councilman and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 18 months.

35. Robert J. Velligan, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

36. Marilyn and Gregory J. Gill, contractors, tax and bankruptcy fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

37. Dimitrios Sazalis, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

38. East Chicago Parks Superintendent Jose Valdez Jr., fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

39. East Chicago City Engineer Pedro Porras, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

40. East Chicago City Councilman Randall Artis, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

41. Terrance Artis, brother of Randall Artis and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 5 months.

42. Gerry Nannenga, former carpenter's union official, accepting bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

43. Kevin Pastrick, son of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

On May 2, 2005. Pastrick began serving his federal prison term for paying Gerry Nannenga, a former executive secretary and business manager for the Northwest Indiana District Council of Carpenters, bribes to influence the investment of $10 million of carpenters' pension money in Coffee Creek, a Porter County land deal that earned Pastrick $600,000 in commissions.

Nannenga pleaded guilty to accepting bribes last year and awaits sentencing April 8. Peter Manous, a former chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party and friend of Pastrick, is serving a 27-month sentence for his role as a go-between in the bribery and its cover-up.

A federal jury convicted Kevin Pastrick's business partner, 58-year-old Carl Paul Ihle Jr., of Lakes of the Four Seasons, of attempting to cover up the bribery investigation with lies and fraudulent documents. A judge sentenced him to 21 months in prison.

Pastrick also must pay a $177,500 fine in the federal case. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/pastrick-prostitution-charge-dropped/article_03ac73bf-2e76-5972-a1a9-acab8ba9e36f.html

44. Peter Manous, former Indiana Democratic chairman, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

45. Carl Paul Ihle Jr., co-owner with Kevin Pastrick of Sand Creek Sales, forging documents and lying about the Coffee Creek land deal.

46. & 47. Katie Hall and Junifer Hall, In May 2002, Katie Hall, again serving as Gary City Clerk, and her daughter, Chief Deputy Clerk Junifer Hall, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, extortion, and mail fraud.

Junifer Hall was also charged with five counts of perjury. Hall eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to house arrest and probation. Junifer Hall was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Gary city clerk, was convicted of extorting $19,000 in campaign contributions from office employees. Hall was Indiana's first African-American member of Congress. Someone in her office reached out to federal authorities asking for relief.

48. Jojuana Meeks, embezzling money from Gary Urban Enterprise Association. This embezzlement involved millions, upon millions of dollars, diverted from its original use to revitalize Gary for personal use. A common theme in NWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Urban_Enterprise_Association

49. Wanda Joshua, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township.

50. Charmaine Pratchett, embezzling money from GUEA.

51. Derrick Earls, embezzling from GUEA board.

52. Johnnie Wright, embezzling from GUEA board.

53. Greg Hill, contractor who didn't report GUEA income.

54. Will Smith Jr., Lake County Council president, tax evasion for a questionable land deal with GUEA.

55. Roosevelt Powell, former delinquent tax collector for Lake County, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

56. Former East Chicago Police Chief Edward Samuels, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

57. East Chicago Building Commission Miguel "Mike" Arredondo, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

58. Gary City Parks Superintendent Kimberly Lyles, lying to federal agents about influence peddling.

59. Assistant County Building Administrator Jan Allison, extortion.

60. G. Gregory Cvitkovich, former North Township trustee, tax fraud.

61. James H. Fife III, a former special assistant to the East Chicago mayor, federal tax fraud.

62. Karen Krahn-Fife, federal tax fraud.

63. Robert White, Gary city councilman, fraud.

64. Lake County Recorder Morris Carter, extortion.

65. Paul Hernandez, union fraud and corruption.

66. Ken Castaldi, union fraud and corruption.

67. Otho Lyles III, tax evasion and lying to FBI in Gary City Hall investigation.

68. Jewell Harris Sr Convicted of double-billing Gary for debris-hauling work at The Steel Yard stadium. Harris was once one of the most powerful political figures in Gary. Harris, former Mayor Scott King’s campaign manager until the two had a bitter split, had been charged with seven counts of money laundering and mail and wire fraud stemming from work Harris did hauling debris from the stadium site in 2001. Convicted that he bilked the city out of $1.5 million while working on the $45 million baseball stadium.

69. Willie Harris, Gary attorney, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

70. Bob Cantrell , a long time East Chicago political operative. Cantrell was reportedly behind McDermott Sr first run for Hammond Mayor, was convicted of tax evasion and insurance fraud. Cantrell used his influence with area elected officials, judges., etc to obtain contracts for a counseling company owned and operated by Nancy Fromm. Cantrell's income was reported in federal transcripts to be over $200,000 a year. Who says crime doesn't pay?

71. Nancy Fromm, addiction counselor, lying to federal agents. Fromm reportedly derived substantial income for referrals tor her company, due to Bobby Cantrell's political connections.

72. Former Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga, fraud in using office to personally benefit her family business.

73. Ann Marie Karras , age 65 of Gary, guilty in April 2009 of two fraud counts for taking checks from a federal contract between 2000 and 2002. (Seven Years Later ) Karras was serving as Calumet Township as the Deputy of Finance.

Co-conspirators Calumet Township Trustee, Dozier T. Allen, Jr., and three of his senior employees at the trustee’s office, Wanda Joshua, and Albert Young, Jr. were charged and found guilty of mail fraud. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

74. Dozier Allen, Calumet Township Trustee, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township, found guilty.

75. Albert Young Jr., who signed a plea agreement and admitted guilt, to two years on probation, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

76. Morris Carter, County Recorder took a $1,000 bribe. http://articles.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010-08-25/news/28516846_1_schererville-town-judge-east-chicago-city-council-robert-pastrick

77. Jerry Haymon has plead guilty, per court records, a year after their indictment on on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The defendants (Drago-Hunter, Jerry Haymon, Sheila Chandler and Phillip Rucker) were indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft accused of funneling the more than $300,000 to themselves between October 2007 and November 2008 by inflating the purchase prices of four Gary properties, faking buyers' financial security, forging loan documents and filing fake mechanic's liens against three of the four properties for work that never was done, federal records state.http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

78. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter, Gary HUD Official, October 6, 2011 was suspended for her October 2010 federal indictment for her suspected involvement in an alleged real estate fraud scheme. Drago-Hunter is responsible for administering millions of dollars of federal money to dozens of social service agencies. The former director of community development for the city of Gary admitted Friday morning (01/13/2011) in federal court to working with a local businessman in a mortgage fraud scheme that took in almost $200,000. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter plead guilty to one count of wire fraud.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/9993779-418/former-gary-official-pleads-guilty-to-mortgage-scheme.html

HUD spokesman Jerry Brown said. “Gary has to help itself by cleaning up its act. It’s going to take that type of commitment in building its track record if the city is going to continue getting federal funds.”
April 19th, 2012 sentenced to spend 15 months in prison in addition to paying restitution of almost $88,000, a federal judge ruled Thursday afternoon.

79. Sheila Chandler has plead guilty, per court records, a year after her indictment on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

80. Frederick M. Cuppy, 70, Merrillville’s former town attorney and Peter G. Rogan, 65, formerly of Valparaiso, were charged October 3rd, 2011 in Chicago in connection with their roles in hiding money from federal investigators and a bank, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago. Cuppy was charged with one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, three counts of perjury and three counts of obstruction of justice. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/8018706-418/former-merrillville-attorney-indicted-by-feds.html
Cuppy is accused of hiding funds so that Rogan could avoid paying $188 million in judgment awarded against him in 2006.

81. Marilyn Krusas, 69, a Gary City Councilwoman since 2000, was charged with one count of tax evasion. Federal authorities allege Krusas failed to file tax returns since 1991. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

In addition to failing to file returns, officials allege she failed to pay taxes on an inheritance she received in the 2009-2010 tax year. The inheritance was $230,000.Krusas was scheduled for her initial appearance at 12:45 today. Krusas plead guilty March 2013.

82. George Pabey, E. Chicago Mayor, convicted on stealing less than $15,000

83. Jose Camacho, East Chicago city employee conviction along with Pabey.

84. & 85. The former treasurer for East Chicago's public schools will plead guilty to receiving a bribe — a federal offense that could carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Francisco "Frank" Ramirez, 49, of East Chicago, exchanged a school contract with a local construction company for thousands of dollars in free home repairs, according to a plea agreement filed Monday. Ramirez and Geraldo "Jerry" Lozano, 34, of Hobart, were indicted Thursday. The indictment was unsealed Friday. Lozano, who owned Green Tree Builders, is charged with paying a bribe to an agent or local government receiving federal funds, while Ramirez was charged with receiving that bribe. In 2008, East Chicago's schools received more than $10,000 in federal funding. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-school-treasurer-to-plead-guilty-to-accepting/article_a7eff7f7-583a-5f59-a47a-9fa2a4d9a8f8.html#ixzz1p2QVuXvM

Ramirez plead guilty. To receive the most benefit from his plea agreement, Ramirez must provide information that leads to a separate criminal prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Bell said during the hearing. Lozano was convicted and received 21 months in a federal prison.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/17391282-418/lozano-gets-21-months-for-bribery.html

86. Thomas Philpot, has held several county offices for 21 years, and currently the Lake County Coroner, was convicted on 08/24/12 after a 5 day trial. Philpot received a 18 month sentence. Some believe Philpot may have shared information with authorities in exchange for such a short sentence. Philpot was convicted of pocketed more than $24,000 from Indiana's federally funded child support incentive funds. He controlled the funds between 2004 and 2009 while serving as Lake County clerk. The fund were intended, as bonuses for line staff. Philpot and his two administrative assistants apparently pocketed the vast majority of these funds over the years Philpot held the County Clerk's Office. Philpot's education as a licensed attorney and medical doctor/podiatrist, appeared to work against him at trial.

The law forbids elected officials from giving themselves such bonuses without the approval of the seven-member fiscal body called the County Council.

The conviction strips Philpot from office as county coroner and all but ends his public career, which includes election as county coroner in 1992, 1996 and 2008; election as county clerk in 2002 and 2006; and his unsuccessful campaigns for Hammond mayor in 1995 and 1999, and for sheriff in 2010.

Philpot turned himself in to serve his reduced sentence of 18 months on Tuesday, March 19th, 2013. Was someone talking and someone else listening? http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/philpot-guilty-on-all-five-counts/article_2ab1a901-230b-5114-8ebe-91b84326c1f3.html

87. Virlissa Crenshaw, 42, of East Chicago, is charged with theft (September 2011) from local government, with another count of filing a false tax return for 2009. Sentence to be determined. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

Crenshaw was a clerk with the Merrillville Town Court at the time of the offenses. She has already signed a plea agreement filed today (October 2012) admitting her guilt to stealing cash bonds. The loss to the Town of Merrillville was $176,763 and the tax loss to the federal government was $55,203.

88. The FBI raided George Van Till's Office in 2012 confiscating computer records. Mr. VanTil is the Lake County Surveyor. A Grand Jury has been chaired investigating some matter in his office. The specific focus of the grand jury is unknown.

The raid resulted in a criminal indictment (May 17th, 2013), two counts of obstruction of justice and six federal felony counts of wire fraud. A "tip" lead the authorities to the investigation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-van-til-indicted-for-using-public-employees-resources-for/article_00f8f717-4dd4-5856-8869-eebc1c121d80.html

Van Till plead guilty, an agreement mad public on December 12th, 2013 noted, The government alleged VanTill ordered an employee, who had worked for the surveyor's office for about a month in November 2011, to do his campaign work and little else.

The plea agreement contains a statement by Van Til that he "was fully aware of the rules and regulations contained in the Lake County Employee Handbook and various Lake County ordinances regarding the prohibition of using Lake County office equipment for political purposes.

"I did knowingly and intentionally request and direct some employees of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office to engage in political campaign work while they were being paid with Lake County governmental funds. Furthermore, I knew that while doing this campaign work at the Lake County Surveyor’s Office, these employees were using Lake County property and equipment to engage in political activity.

"Furthermore, I knew that false payroll information for these employees was being submitted for full payment of their entire salaries, even though some of their time at the Surveyor’s office was used to engage in political activity, rather than the legitimate work of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office.

"I further agree that since some of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office’s employees who were engaging in political activity while being paid with Lake County government funds had their payroll checks electronically deposited, payment of these salaries would involve some type of an electronic wire transmission. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/lake-county-surveyor-van-til-admits-guilt-in-plea-agreement/article_55ecd377-7f49-57d7-8e56-b8372f9d11c4.html

Video of the indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_SxbMDD2RQ

89 a & 89 b. Alfonso Salinas Hammond 2nd District councilman in Hammond, was charged with receipt of a bribe by an agent of local government who was receiving federal funds.

Federal authorities allege that Salinas steered city tree cutting business to David Johnson, 56, of Munster, owner of Dave’s Tree Service. (Note David Johnson was a benefactor of the East Chicago Sidewalks for vote scandal, his company reportedly did hundreds of thousands of dollars of work in E. Chicago. Some say either McDermott or Cantrell or both brought Johnson into Hammond to continue the patronage tree. Johnson plead guilty and as of this writing his sentencing has been delayed several times. There is speculation he is cooperating with federal authorities).

Salinas is alleged to have steered $300,000 in casino funds that he had at his disposal to Johnson's company for tree cutting and tree removal work. Federal authorities further allege Salinas took a $10,500 kickback for steering the work Johnson’s way. Johnson was charged with payment of a bribe to an agent of local government. (Johnson later plead guilty). Salinas is also charged with four counts of willful failure to file tax returns from 2006 to 2009. Salinas agreed to a plea agreement on two counts April 2013.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

Salinas plead guilty in mid May 2013, sentenced to 42 months. Salinas surrender to Federal Authorities in October.

90. Juda Parks, 40, of East Chicago, is charged with two counts of failure to file income tax returns for years 2008 and 2009. Parks, and East Chicago City Councilman since 2008 and an East Chicago police officer, has signed a plea agreement admitting guilt on all charges.

Parks has agreed to cooperate with the federal government on other unspecified cases, according to federal authorities. (interesting statement) http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

91. Manuel Montalvo, 38, of East Chicago, is charged in an indictment with two counts of filing false tax returns for years 2009 and 2010. In an update, not referred to in the following link. Mr. Motalvo plead guilty and received four months probation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

The indictment alleges that Montalvo, the former director of the East Chicago Public Library, overstated unreimbursed business expenses and medical and dental expenses. Those expenses amounted to $32,000 in medical and dental expenses and $47,000 in employee and business expenses over the two years.

reached a deal with federal prosecutors Friday (August 2nd, 2013), pleading guilty to one of two counts of filing a false federal tax return. Montalvo faces up to three years in prison and a maximum $100,000 fine, according to the plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Hammond.

Montalvo pleaded guilty to providing false information on his 2009 federal tax return by claiming $23,282 in unreimbursed business expenses. Specifically, Montalvo claimed business expenses for use of his vehicle, travel, meals, entertainment and other expenses in his position as library director. However, the East Chicago Public Library Board already had reimbursed him for all employee-related expenses. He received 24 months probation.

In addition, Montalvo admits to falsely claiming $17,063 in unreimbursed medical expenses, according to court documents. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/montalvo-pleads-guilty-to-one-count-of-tax-fraud/article_6bbc3132-05d1-55fd-b29d-ab871918ce3d.html

Montalvo, Lake County style has pending federal litigation against East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, claiming he was illegally fired as library director because of his political support for now imprisoned, former Mayor George Pabey. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-library-director-sentenced-to-months-probation/article_3176ecaf-a201-5182-85ae-da93c011bc73.html

92. Although not specifically a county employee, Roman Perez of Crown Point and owner of Roman Art, Inc. has plead guilty to tax evasion and making false statements under oath during a bankruptcy proceeding. Perez understated $100,100 of 2007 income, of which the feds report $80,000 of 2007 income came from the Lake County Commissary Fund. Exactly what "Roman Art, Inc." did or does will be posted at a later time.

Perez as part of his plea agreement, agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.

Video of Indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qphJKtY041c

93. Hammond-based U.S. Attorney David Capp announced Monday that Gary City Councilman Ronier Scott, 42, is charged in Hammond federal court with two counts of willfully failing to file income tax returns for 2008 and 2009. Scott signed a plea agreement filed in conjunction with the charges, both misdemeanors, court records show.

Scott admits in the plea agreement he chose not to file federal returns for income he earned in 2008 and 2009 through his position on the Gary City Council and while working at a business owned by a family member. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/gary-councilman-ronier-scott-charged-with-failing-to-file-tax/article_2f46723d-2b4f-5ccc-8ec7-2b643715a438.html

94. An unnamed current sitting, elected county official who testified at the Philpot trial, reportedly has a sealed 2012 Grand Jury indictment.

95. A grand jury indicted a former Merrillville town councilman, Terrell Taylor, on a charge of forgery.

Terrell Taylor, 49, was indicted Thursday on one Class C felony count. The criminal charge stemmed from an investigation into his business, Taylor Development Corp., and was not related to anything he did on the Town Council, said Indiana State Police spokeswoman Ann Wojas.

Taylor served as a Town Council member between 2004 and 2008. He made history in 2003 by becoming one of Merrillville's first two African-American Town Council members.

He also helped establish the Merrillville Education Foundation in 1992, became its first president and has served as chairman of the town's Environmental Affairs Committee. He is president and CEO of the Merrillville-based contracting company Taylor Development Corp.

Town officials suspected Taylor had forged business documents in May 2013 and asked the state police to investigate, Wojas said. Merrillville police did not handle the investigation to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, she said.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/former-merrillville-town-councilman-indicted-on-forgery-charge/article_cd82f2a2-69d0-58ed-97d1-26d5d2cb0f15.html

95. And has a current grand jury been empaneled to review if sufficient evidence exist to charge a past county elected official?


Who do you think may be next?


Individuals and/or corporations named in the above links are presumed innocent unless a court of law finds otherwise.

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


Last edited by justcallmetommy on Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:28 am, edited 3 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 3:41 pm 
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You all know I'm a fan, tracking the demise of Lake County Politicians and their associated blood sucking leaches. I'm breaking from tradition to post a piece on JVT.

Don't know the man, don't think I have ever met him, but if the highlighted piece below is any indication of another RUDY, well, god bless him.

Quote:
Van Til Reportedly “Frazzled” Over Impending Trial Date

by Ken Davidson

Some even go so far as to suggest that George Van Til is mounting a Vinny the Chin Gigante defense. Van Til is reportedly out of sorts after learning that his trial, scheduled for December 9, 2013, will not be continued as requested. Van Til has been charged with 6 counts of Wire Fraud and two counts related to Obstruction of Justice. Witnesses who work closely with Van Til now report that he is a different person. ”He comes to work looking like he did not sleep” according to one source.

Van Til is represented by former Gary Mayor and Democratic Political insider Scott King. King requested a copy of the Government’s witness list but that request was denied. Standard practice is to provide the list immediately before trial. That seems especially appropriate where an indicted defendant remains in a supervisory position over potential witnesses. Sources say that Van Til maintains meticulous files on Lake County politicians and has a lot of information to trade for his freedom. We will see if he is willing to pay that price.

See also <a href=”[url]http://nwigazette.com/2013/11/25/johnson-sentencing-delayed-again/“>Johnson Sentencing Delayed Again[/url].</a>

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 7:37 pm 
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Johnson was involved in the recent side walk for votes scandal out of east chicago indiana involving former east chicago mayor pastrick.

many believe, Bobbie Cantrell helped get Thomas McDermott Jr elected in Hammond, as money in East Chicago was drying up, with the loss of their tax base. Cantrell the year before his conviction was earning over $220,000 a year, most of this from government contracts, kick backs.

many also believed johnson was involved in financial under the table kick backs to politicians for city business both in east chicago and hammond.

the real question here, is why would johnson still have city of Hammond business, unless johnson has some leverage, owed him something and maybe, just maybe buying his silence, hoping he will be as a stand up guy as bobbie.

at least that is what some believe.

Apparently, a couple of other people believe Johnson may be talking to the feds.


Quote:
[url]http://nwigazette.com/2013/11/25/johnson-sentencing-delayed-again/“>Johnson[/url]


Johnson Sentencing Delayed Again

by Ken Davidson

Amid reports of uncharacteristic confidence on the part of the Defendant, the sentencing of David Johnson of A-1 Dave’s Tree Service has been continued again. The official reason given was “a dispute of guideline applications in this matter.” Sources familiar with the process continue to stress that this is an unusual number of delays in the matter. Such delays usually indicate cooperation with the Government-not good news for Lake County Democrats. The Motion indicates that Assistant United States Attorney Gary Bell had no objection to the continuance. The hearing will be held on February 6, 2014 absent any further delay.

Johnson pled guilty to bribery involving federal programs in October 25, 2012. Co-Defendant Alfonso Salinas subseqently pled guilty on May 13, 2013. Salinas was sentenced on August 13 and reported to the Bureau of Prisons on October 1 to serve his 42 month sentence.

Johnson previously had been sued for racketeering by the Attorney General of Indiana in the “Sidewalks for Votes” scheme in East Chicago. Despite the fact that he settled that case, Dave’s Tree Service continued to receive local government contracts. This was particularly the case in Hammond where Johnson was the preferred contractor for tree services. Dave’s Tree still does work in the City of Hammond but it is not clear at this time if any of those jobs are a result of City contracts.


10931

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 8:09 pm 
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Location: Hammond
justcallmetommy wrote:
You all know I'm a fan, tracking the demise of Lake County Politicians and their associated blood sucking leaches. I'm breaking from tradition to post a piece on JVT.

Don't know the man, don't think I have ever met him, but if the highlighted piece below is any indication of another RUDY, well, god bless him.

Quote:
Van Til Reportedly “Frazzled” Over Impending Trial Date

by Ken Davidson

Some even go so far as to suggest that George Van Til is mounting a Vinny the Chin Gigante defense. Van Til is reportedly out of sorts after learning that his trial, scheduled for December 9, 2013, will not be continued as requested. Van Til has been charged with 6 counts of Wire Fraud and two counts related to Obstruction of Justice. Witnesses who work closely with Van Til now report that he is a different person. ”He comes to work looking like he did not sleep” according to one source.

Van Til is represented by former Gary Mayor and Democratic Political insider Scott King. King requested a copy of the Government’s witness list but that request was denied. Standard practice is to provide the list immediately before trial. That seems especially appropriate where an indicted defendant remains in a supervisory position over potential witnesses. Sources say that Van Til maintains meticulous files on Lake County politicians and has a lot of information to trade for his freedom. We will see if he is willing to pay that price.

See also <a href=”[url]http://nwigazette.com/2013/11/25/johnson-sentencing-delayed-again/“>Johnson Sentencing Delayed Again[/url].</a>



I hope he has the goods on a lot of the Lake County Crooks, like I heard he does. I sincerely hope he does a Rudy Bartolomei. :twisted:


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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:29 am 
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A partial list of Lake County Politicians, influential power brokers, some who have been convicted, others under indictment. I will add to this list from time to time as info becomes available. :(

Sources include publications such as the Hammond Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Suntimes, Gary Tribune Post and other media sources.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/article_decbcc06-e795-5b8c-a43b-0036497fa9cd.html


CONVICTED unless otherwise indicated

1. R. O. Johnson, Mayor of Gary Johnson was convicted by the feds in 1923 of conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act. He began serving his sentence in 1925. President Calvin Coolidge, having sympathy for his plight, granted him a pardon after his release. He ran 2 more times, successfully, for mayor. Evidently the citizenry, not surprisingly, did not hold his conviction against him? http://gdynets.webng.com/Good_Gov.htm

2. Stephen R. Goot, a Hammond Attorney received a 20-year sentence, one of the stiffest given to the 16 people convicted in the Operation Bar Tab investigation of corruption in Lake County courts. Goot served as the Hammond water board lawyer until the federal investigation that led to his conviction on ticket fixing. (1991). http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/article_c9e38ff7-e7e9-5f94-a9de-dd4002bcd2b3.html

3. Nick Morfas. Goot as we have read above was convicted at federal trial. The principal official with whom Goot interacted and conspired was deputy prosecutor Nick Morfas. Goot pleaded not guilty and went to trial; Morfas pleaded guilty and testified against Goot.

Morfas would steal and destroy the prosecutor's file. Sometimes Morfas would steal and destroy the court's file as well. Once the time for refiling had passed without any further action taken by the prosecutor, Goot would file a second motion to dismiss, which would be granted. A check then would be issued by the prosecutor's office to Goot, the holder of the bond receipt, but payable to the person who initially posted the bond. Goot would give this check to Morfas who would forge the payee's signature and retain the funds as his share in the scheme.

In some cases, Morfas would represent himself to DUI defendants as an attorney, sign Goot's name to the paper work or have Goot sign his name, and then steal the files and collect the fees. Morfas needed to use Goot's name because he could not use his own, being a deputy prosecutor. As a quid pro quo, Morfas either would help Goot with one of Goot's cases or would pay Goot a share of the fees. http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/america-plaintiff-stephen-goot-defendant-37294529

The jury found Goot guilty on both counts and he was sentenced to two concurrent twenty-year prison terms (the statutory maximum on each count) and a $25,000.00 fine. Morfas, who was sentenced later, got four years and a $6000.00 fine.

4. Metro Holovachke, former prosecuting attorney of Lake County, Indiana, all on tax charges. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

5. George Chacharis, Mayor of Gary, Indiana, who in approximately 1963, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to report and pay taxes on more than $250, 000 in payoffs from construction firms. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

6. Unsolved Murder: Hammond detectives have no doubts about who fired the fatal bullet into the back of Henry "Babe" Lopez's neck in 1979. They said they know without question who dropped a basketball-sized rock onto the gas pedal of the former East Chicago parks superintendent's city-owned vehicle, propelling his dead body into the Grand Calumet River.

Yet, 30 years later, Lopez's family still lives without closure. "They believed Babe Lopez was cooperating with the federal government investigation into corruption in East Chicago," Solan told The Times. "Babe Lopez was not cooperating, and that belief cost Babe his life."

Dec. 12, 1979, the last day Lopez was seen alive Former City Clerk Charles Pacurar, now East Chicago's city controller, told Hammond police in 1980 that Lopez's death may have been related to $900,000 in Park and Recreation Bond funds.
In 1974, before Lopez was parks superintendent, the City Council moved $900,000 to park development line item 713 in the budget, records state. Pacurar told police that line item did not exist.

The State Board of Accounts repeatedly questioned how the park bond money had been spent, state audits from 1977 to 1983 show. The board's field examiners asked then-City Controller James Knight to determine whether the funds had been used for the purpose for which the bonds were issued. As of Aug. 19, 1982, Knight had not replied, records state.

Numerous sources told police they believed Edelmiro "Corfi" DeJesus was involved in Lopez's death. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and city and county authorities in Illinois and Indiana believed DeJesus was a mob assassin involved in numerous illegal activities, records state.

DeJesus was shot and killed execution-style May 27, 1980 -- four months after Lopez's body was found. His death is still unsolved, East Chicago Police Chief Gus Flores said.

Summers said he believes DeJesus and his cronies were responsible for executing Lopez's murder. Then DeJesus was killed because he was mouthing off about killing Lopez, Summers added. Other sources contend the murder was drug-related.
But questions remained: Why was Lopez murdered? Who ordered the hit?

Summers recently told The Times the investigation into Lopez's murder "always pointed just straight in one direction" -- toward Vince Kirrin. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_3e42b286-61f5-593b-9f9c-f334a8a600be.html

Not directly related to the above piece, Hammond’s Mayor, Thomas McDermott Jr, in recent Indiana State Board of Account Audits, has refused to answer several questions asked by Auditors.

7. Unsolved Murder: East Chicago political insider Jay Given was shot , assignation style, attending a fund raiser for up and coming politician N. Atterson Spann, inside the vestibule of the Jockey Club. 30 years later, the case remains unsolved, but evidence points to a high-ranking former East Chicago police official who it’s alleged had a long term political beef with Givens. Interesting reading http://www.nwitimes.com/news/foreign-language/politico-given-murder-remains-unsolved-nearly-years-later/article_b6ddb22f-d8d7-5e20-b6a4-9ca7bbc4f50b.html

One woman, opted to spend 10 days in jail for contempt of court rather than cooperate fully with investigators. Investigators said they thought the Jockey Club worker was holding out important information. The woman felt like a "lost ball in tall weeds, ... (and) just wanted to forget that entire night," she told police. She had learned to see and not see, she said, because "in East Chicago, two people could be standing side-by-side, one could have his head blown off and the other would not have seen a thing."

8. Dr. John Nicosia, who served as East Chicago mayor from 1963 to 1971, was convicted in the late 1970s in connection with a $1 million sewer construction kickback scheme. http://www.indianabusinessnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=61424

9. In September, 1982, Alfred T. Willardo, (Respondent) was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury for Theft, a Class D Felony. The Respondent pled not guilty, was tried by a jury and, on February 9, 1983, was found guilty of Theft, a Class D Felony. On March 3, 1983, the trial court entered judgment against the Respondent finding him guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 35-20-2-7. The Respondent was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, to probation for one year, restitution, and was further required to resign as Coroner.

The indictment and conviction stemmed from Respondent's diversion of county funds into his campaign account. The Respondent had directed his former office manager and chief deputy to falsify and file mileage claims, some signed by the Respondent himself, the funds from which were eventually funneled into Respondent's campaign account.

The Respondent took an appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. A petition for rehearing and a petition to transfer to this Court were subsequently denied. http://in.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19860605_0030577.IN.htm/qx

Note, I have looked for a appeal reversal on the conviction, but did not find one.

10. Michael Jankovich, 76, of Hobart, former Lake County assessor and longtime local Democratic power: sentenced to prison for 6 years, fined $250,000 and ordered to forfeit $11,700 in bribe receipts, after pleading guilty to charges of racketeering and extortion in soliciting bribes from businessmen in return for cutting their tax bills. Approximately 1986.

11. Frank A.J. Stodola, 66, of Hammond, a former judge and county commissioner: sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering and extortion and ordered to forfeit $10,800 in bribe money, amid charges that he sold his commissioner`s office to the highest bidder. Approximately 1986.

12. Lake County Judge Orval Anderson, was convicted of perjury (1986) for his testimony at the trial of a court administrator. The conviction was associated with Operation Bar Tab. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court

13. Former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei was convicted of extortion while serving as sheriff in 1985. He entered the witness protection plan with his wife in about 1986. Interesting article by the Chicago Tribune on Bartolomei's rise to power and fall from political graces: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-11-13/features/8802160613_1_jail-lake-county-highest-bidder

14. Roland D. Watson, former deputy assessor of Calumet Township, which includes the city of Gary Watson, 37, of Gary, pled guilty of having conspired to share in bribes paid by businessmen to win tax breaks for their properties.

15. Carol Sinks, 42, an East Chicago woman, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge James Clement. Sinks was fined $1,000 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence Tuesday after admitting her part in a ghost payroll scheme in Hammond.

Sinks and the late John Klobuchar, a former North Township trustee, were accused of theft, ghost employment and conspiracy in a scheme in which Klobuchar hired Sinks to manage the township`s Hammond office at a $20,500 salary while the woman was working full time for a construction company. It had been reported Klobuchar and Sinks were in a relationship. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-13/news/8903170714_1_sinks-scheme-ghost

Klobuchar died before the case went to trial, but Lake County Prosecutor Jon DeGuilio said the guilty plea gave ``credibility to our ghost-payrolling statute.`

16. Unsolved Murder: The bodies of a man and woman found burned in a car on Gary`s south side are believed to be those of a sheriff`s deputy and his wife, authorities said Monday. The deputy had been active in several federal investigations and was scheduled to testify in an upcoming federal racketeering trial. The victims are Cpl. Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa.

Rosser was to testify in the trial of a Merrillville councilman and suspended sheriff`s officer who is accused of involvement in a shakedown racket. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-01-16/news/9001040803_1_bodies-sheriff-s-spokesman-police

On January 22, 1990, Magistrate Andrew P. Rodovich entered an order revoking Mokol's bond and detaining him pending trial as he found "there is probable cause to believe that Mr. Mokol was involved in the deaths of the Rossers [Rosser's wife also was murdered] in violation of the terms and conditions of his release." http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/

17. Michael Mokol Sr, 48, a 19-year police veteran and former Merrillville town trustee, had been convicted of funneling $33,000 in bribes to former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei, his political mentor. The payoffs in 1984 and 1985 came from Reginald P. Kinkade, an East Chicago distributor of video poker machines.

The money, in the form of political contributions, went to Sheriff Bartolomei through Mokol, buying protection from gambling raids. At the time the machines were operating legally in scores of taverns, clubs and fraternal halls in the county. Kinkade, however, paid bribes to police to avoid investigation, according to trial testimony.

Mokol was sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James Moody, an angry federal judge who said society ``has a right to strike back`` at corrupt law officers. In sentencing Mokol for bribery, Moody said he was sending a message to the 190 sheriff`s police officers and 850 other law officers in local communities throughout the county that bribery is intolerable. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-27/news/9003030302_1_gambling-raids-police-officers-law-officers

As another side note, found in a blog, http://bluecountyredstate.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-problems-at-lake-county-sheriffs.html is a very vivid, although not verifiable description of how Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa, his wife may have met their death. My bet Mokol Jr may have been involved.

There exist no supporting documentation the following anonymous poster's post, found on Buzz Cuts blog, has any fact to it. Exceptionally gruesome.
Buzz,

Let me share with you and your readers on how horrible the crime that was committed on Gary & Teresa Rosser.

Gary was part of the investigation of “Operation Lights Out.” This was Officer Gary Rosser’s third or fourth secret operation into the corruption in Lake County. It is also the one he feared the most for his safety, and for good reasons.

Officer Gary Rosser was set to testify against, SGT. Mike Mokol Sr. (a Merrillville councilman who at one time was chief of the sheriff`s police) Unbeknownst Officer Gary Rosser, Mike Mokol Sr. had taken a contract hit out on his life for $10,000.

Officer Rosser was lured into a false real estate deal by his so called friend, George Swetkey (see immediate posting below), who was paid by Mike Mokol Sr. to do the deadly deed.

First they kidnapped Gary’s wife Teresa. They beat her, they raped her and they took pictures of what they did to her.

They then set up a meeting at the Red Rooster restaurant with Officer Rosser. They told Officer Rosser that they had beaten his wife and if he didn’t leave peacefully, they would order her killed.

When they got Officer Rosser to the location where his wife, Teresa was, Officer Rosser tried to fight them off. He was beaten; stabbed; cuffed (both arms and legs) and they tied a noose over his neck to choke him. When this didn’t kill him they shot him several times.

They then stuffed Officer Rosser and his wife into the car in which they would be found. When they set the car on fire, Officer Gary Rosser was still alive. His lungs had smoke inhalation.

Gary left behind two children, his mother Ruby, died six months later of a broken heart.

Teresa had three children, who a year later became orphans after losing their father (Teresa’s first husband) to a heart attack at age 33, which many attributed to the stress of this situation.

And to think that 21 years later, the Lake County Sheriff’s department is being investigated for the same issues that destroyed the Rosser family…When will the citizens of this county stand up and quit supporting these criminal thugs!
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/
http://ftp.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/939/939.F2d.436.90-1777.html

17a. Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife.

``Any thought I have that he might somehow walk the streets again makes me shudder,`` said Judge James Letsinger of Lake County Superior Court, Crown Point, when he imposed the near-maximum prison terms for double murder. `This sentence is intended to see that he doesn`t.``

Swetkey, for his part, stood mute. ``I haven`t anything to say,`` he muttered softly.Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-08-25/news/9003110650_1_inherently-evil-person-murders-sentence

17b. As a interesting side note, Mike Mokol Jr., was very much like his father. Mokol Jr. - the serially arrested son of late Merrillville Town Councilman and Lake County Police Chief Michael Mokol Sr. Mokol Sr., was convicted in 1990 of federal racketeering and illegal gambling charges for taking money to provide police protection for illegal gambling operations. Molok Jr, a, convicted felon -- was sentenced to 262 months in prison and five years of supervised release. May 2010. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/3f068990-2d53-5b33-8824-ff231ebd1268.html

Mokol Jr., a convicted felon with a criminal history spanning three states, is charged in the federal case with three counts of possessing specific handguns and ammunition after his criminal convictions and one count of using a specific gun during a drug trafficking crime. Prosecutors claim he orchestrated burglaries that yielded the guns. He is specifically charged with possessing a 9-mm handgun and a .45-caliber handgun.

18. Alan Frost, introduced to Hammond, believed by the McDermot Sr Administration. There had been a question on how Frost readily acquired the abandoned JC Pennies building on Hohman Avenue. Frost had the full blessing of the city to remodel an old store downtown for a computer school that was supposed to bring hundreds of jobs to Hammond. He eventually went to prison after being convicted in Florida for scamming the federal government on that venture.

19. Stewart Roth, Hammond Sanitary district Supt. admitted to illegally discharging untreated waste into the Grand Calumet River. Roth plead guilty in July of 1990. Roth faced a possible prison term of 20 years and a fine of $40,000.

Problems at the plant came to the forefront in 1988, after a growing stench at the plant was reported by north side residents and a 9-foot-deep . . .an``island`` of untreated human waste in the Grand Calumet was discovered by environmentalists; that unprocessed volume ``as enough to fill the Exxon Valdez 185 times.....the raw sewage was enough to cover Hammond`s approximately 25 square miles 30 inches deep.

The investigation found that Roth had reported that 30 billion gallons of sewage had been processed by the plant from Jan. 1, 1986, through May 31, 1988, when only 12 billion gallons were treated. Why he did this was never disclosed. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-14/news/9002270497_1_raw-sewage-sanitary-board-treatment-plant
Roth apparently didn't learn from his first go around.

In 2012 Roth plead guilty in Federal Court for illegal dumping. Unfortunately Roth and others operated, undiscovered for years and years, dumping untreated waste in Hammond sewage system at a company owned site at 141st St. Hammond authorities were apparently unaware this site was dumping illegal waste for years and years. It appears the Hammond Officials never inspected the site. So much for Hammond’s inspectional services. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/12254534-418/manager-at-ec-business-admits-illegal-dumping.html

20. Peter Benjamin, former Lake County auditor and assessor, paying bribes to Lake County Councilman Troy Montgomery.

21. Troy Montgomery, former Lake County councilman, accepting Benjamin's bribes.

22. & 23. Lake County Judge Steven Bielak, 34, pleaded guilty in Hammond before U.S. District Judge James Moody. Bielak, A traffic court judge in Lake County, Ind., and Robert Balitewicz, 49, a court clerk pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges arising from a federal investigation of the disposition of drunk driving cases in northwest Indiana. 1991

The two had been charged by a federal grand jury in a 28-count indictment in June 1986, for failing to notify the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles of drunk-driving convictions as required by state law. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court http://www.justice.gov/osg/briefs/1989/sg890014.txt

24. Former Hammond City Controller Edward Brown, has pleaded guilty to income-tax charges and had cooperated with federal authorities. Brown, 42, was charged in April (1991) by the U.S. attorney's office for failure to report all his income for calendar year 1985.

June 1991, a full six years after his income tax evasion, Former city Controller Edward A. Brown implicated himself and others Thursday in a bribery scheme to protect video-poker gambling in Hammond. Brown, 42, of Hammond was pleading guilty before U.S. District Court Judge James Moody to a felony tax-fraud charge that he failed to disclose protection money he received from Reginald Kinkade.

He said Kinkade, owner of Variety Amusement Co. of East Chicago, gave him up to $4,000 each month from the fall of 1984 to the end of 1985 to keep police from seizing about 50 poker machines …

25. Glenn Kuipers, a former executive director of East Chicago's Tri-City Mental Health Center, and Noah Atterson Spann, a former county commissioner from the city, were indicted in the late 1980s for bribery and bilking taxpayers in connection with publicly buying an East Chicago nursing home at an exorbitant price.

Kuipers and his wife entered the federal witness protection program after he pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Spann, who went to prison in 1988. He finished his sentence 11 years later, was hired by former Mayor Robert Pastrick to run his 1999 re-election campaign and later was named director of community services.

26. Vince Kirrin, an East known as a back-room politician who wielded immense influence over East Chicago and Lake County politics. Kirrin was indicted during a federal investigation into corruption in Lake County and served time in prison for conspiracy and mail fraud convictions. Kirrin died in 1998. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-07-20/news/9103210240_1_bribes-cleaning-tax-fraud

Kirrin said he used elbow grease to vigorously clean the Lake County (Ind.) government center, transforming the courthouse, jail and office building ``from a pigsty into a showpiece.`` 1985-86 contract, which went to a firm nominally headed by his nephew, Joe Macko.

Macko testified that his uncle surprised him with a gift of $2,000 only days before he was called to testify under subpoena about the cleaning contract before a federal grand jury. Capp said the money was a bribe. Macko admitted he had no experience cleaning public buildings, unless``GI parties in the military`` was a qualifier. He said he performed no executive duties, and had no office.

The government contended that, in order to get the contract, Kirrin paid $30,000 in bribes to Lake County Commissioner Steve Corey. Corey denied the charge, saying any money from Kirrin was nothing more than a loan to the his family`s bakery business, and the loan had been repaid.

Former County Commissioner N. Atterson Spann testified against Kirrin, saying he and Corey were aware of Kirrin`s behind-the-scenes role. Spann is serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for taking bribes to influence county business. He said he hoped his testimony would earn him a sentence reduction.

But a federal court jury in Hammond convicted the East Chicago businessman of paying bribes to win a $246,000-a-year, no-bid contract to clean the center. Kirrin wished to avoid the public spotlight, said Capp, because he already was receiving up to $660,000 a year in county printing business.

27. & 28. Former Lake County Recorder Robert Freeland and his chief deputy, Valerie Levy, were charged Wednesday in connection with a money-laundering scheme that reportedly originated in the Lake County recorder's office. Article found in Northwest Indiana Times archives, when the Times was a real newspaper. Article dated May 20, 1999 12:00 am by ROBIN BIESEN. http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/ex-county-officials-charged/article_0503d665-684c-59fa-8ec5-7454e3cf6b72.html

According to DeGuilio, a consortium of title companies led by Ticor Title Insurance Co. collectively paid Microfilm Services and later Data Film $6,000 a month. Both firms were created by Freeland and Levy. Between 1989, when Freeland took office, to June 1995, the two crafted a scheme in which they allegedly diverted nearly 500,000 that would have been paid to the county in copying fees from land title companies into a pair of companies they created.

Data Film was created after the reported owner of Microfilm ervices, Ernest T. Williams, died. Court records show Data Film was owned by Veronica Adams, Levy's niece and a former employee of the recorder's office. In exchange for the fee, the title companies were supposed to receive microfilm copies of land documents. Microfilm copies of the documents were produced, but not by Freeland's companies. Federal documents indicate county employees did the work for which Freeland and Levy were paid.

Court documents show Levy took the title company checks that were sent to a post office box and cashed them at NBD Bank, taking a majority of the proceeds in cash.

U.S. Attorney Jon DeGuilio said Freeland, 59, and Levy, 48, a member of the Calumet Township Board, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit money-laundering. Each could receive sentences of up to five years in jail or fines of $500,000.

29. Noah Atterson Spann, 48, of East Chicago, the highest elected black county executive and a fellow county commissioner with Bartolomei: sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, fined $25,000 and ordered to forfeit $29,615 in payoff money.

28. Rudy Byron, 51, of Gary, a Spann protégé and former Lake County inspector: sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined $15,000 for accepting payoffs to help two janitorial firms get lucrative county contracts and for concealing payments of $50,000 from his income-tax returns.

30. East Chicago City Councilman Frank Kollintzas, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds, lying to the FBI. Frankie chose to flee to Greece. As a Greek national Frankie is exempt from extradition by Greece law. 11 years.

31. East Chicago City Councilman Joe De La Cruz, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. 6 years.

32. East Chicago City Controller Edwardo Maldonado, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. Convicted a second time in July 2006 for using public money to pay his defense attorneys. 130 months.

33. East Chicago City Councilman Adrian Santos, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy in connection with the $24 million sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

34. Joel Markovich, former Lake County councilman and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 18 months.

35. Robert J. Velligan, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

36. Marilyn and Gregory J. Gill, contractors, tax and bankruptcy fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

37. Dimitrios Sazalis, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

38. East Chicago Parks Superintendent Jose Valdez Jr., fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

39. East Chicago City Engineer Pedro Porras, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

40. East Chicago City Councilman Randall Artis, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

41. Terrance Artis, brother of Randall Artis and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 5 months.

42. Gerry Nannenga, former carpenter's union official, accepting bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

43. Kevin Pastrick, son of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

On May 2, 2005. Pastrick began serving his federal prison term for paying Gerry Nannenga, a former executive secretary and business manager for the Northwest Indiana District Council of Carpenters, bribes to influence the investment of $10 million of carpenters' pension money in Coffee Creek, a Porter County land deal that earned Pastrick $600,000 in commissions.

Nannenga pleaded guilty to accepting bribes last year and awaits sentencing April 8. Peter Manous, a former chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party and friend of Pastrick, is serving a 27-month sentence for his role as a go-between in the bribery and its cover-up.

A federal jury convicted Kevin Pastrick's business partner, 58-year-old Carl Paul Ihle Jr., of Lakes of the Four Seasons, of attempting to cover up the bribery investigation with lies and fraudulent documents. A judge sentenced him to 21 months in prison.

Pastrick also must pay a $177,500 fine in the federal case. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/pastrick-prostitution-charge-dropped/article_03ac73bf-2e76-5972-a1a9-acab8ba9e36f.html

44. Peter Manous, former Indiana Democratic chairman, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

45. Carl Paul Ihle Jr., co-owner with Kevin Pastrick of Sand Creek Sales, forging documents and lying about the Coffee Creek land deal.

46. & 47. Katie Hall and Junifer Hall, In May 2002, Katie Hall, again serving as Gary City Clerk, and her daughter, Chief Deputy Clerk Junifer Hall, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, extortion, and mail fraud.

Junifer Hall was also charged with five counts of perjury. Hall eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to house arrest and probation. Junifer Hall was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Gary city clerk, was convicted of extorting $19,000 in campaign contributions from office employees. Hall was Indiana's first African-American member of Congress. Someone in her office reached out to federal authorities asking for relief.

48. Jojuana Meeks, embezzling money from Gary Urban Enterprise Association. This embezzlement involved millions, upon millions of dollars, diverted from its original use to revitalize Gary for personal use. A common theme in NWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Urban_Enterprise_Association

49. Wanda Joshua, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township.

50. Charmaine Pratchett, embezzling money from GUEA.

51. Derrick Earls, embezzling from GUEA board.

52. Johnnie Wright, embezzling from GUEA board.

53. Greg Hill, contractor who didn't report GUEA income.

54. Will Smith Jr., Lake County Council president, tax evasion for a questionable land deal with GUEA.

55. Roosevelt Powell, former delinquent tax collector for Lake County, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

56. Former East Chicago Police Chief Edward Samuels, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

57. East Chicago Building Commission Miguel "Mike" Arredondo, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

58. Gary City Parks Superintendent Kimberly Lyles, lying to federal agents about influence peddling.

59. Assistant County Building Administrator Jan Allison, extortion.

60. G. Gregory Cvitkovich, former North Township trustee, tax fraud.

61. James H. Fife III, a former special assistant to the East Chicago mayor, federal tax fraud.

62. Karen Krahn-Fife, federal tax fraud.

63. Robert White, Gary city councilman, fraud.

64. Lake County Recorder Morris Carter, extortion.

65. Paul Hernandez, union fraud and corruption.

66. Ken Castaldi, union fraud and corruption.

67. Otho Lyles III, tax evasion and lying to FBI in Gary City Hall investigation.

68. Jewell Harris Sr Convicted of double-billing Gary for debris-hauling work at The Steel Yard stadium. Harris was once one of the most powerful political figures in Gary. Harris, former Mayor Scott King’s campaign manager until the two had a bitter split, had been charged with seven counts of money laundering and mail and wire fraud stemming from work Harris did hauling debris from the stadium site in 2001. Convicted that he bilked the city out of $1.5 million while working on the $45 million baseball stadium.

69. Willie Harris, Gary attorney, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

70. Bob Cantrell , a long time East Chicago political operative. Cantrell was reportedly behind McDermott Sr first run for Hammond Mayor, was convicted of tax evasion and insurance fraud. Cantrell used his influence with area elected officials, judges., etc to obtain contracts for a counseling company owned and operated by Nancy Fromm. Cantrell's income was reported in federal transcripts to be over $200,000 a year. Who says crime doesn't pay?

71. Nancy Fromm, addiction counselor, lying to federal agents. Fromm reportedly derived substantial income for referrals tor her company, due to Bobby Cantrell's political connections.

72. Former Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga, fraud in using office to personally benefit her family business.

73. Ann Marie Karras , age 65 of Gary, guilty in April 2009 of two fraud counts for taking checks from a federal contract between 2000 and 2002. (Seven Years Later ) Karras was serving as Calumet Township as the Deputy of Finance.

Co-conspirators Calumet Township Trustee, Dozier T. Allen, Jr., and three of his senior employees at the trustee’s office, Wanda Joshua, and Albert Young, Jr. were charged and found guilty of mail fraud. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

74. Dozier Allen, Calumet Township Trustee, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township, found guilty.

75. Albert Young Jr., who signed a plea agreement and admitted guilt, to two years on probation, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

76. Morris Carter, County Recorder took a $1,000 bribe. http://articles.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010-08-25/news/28516846_1_schererville-town-judge-east-chicago-city-council-robert-pastrick

77. Jerry Haymon has plead guilty, per court records, a year after their indictment on on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The defendants (Drago-Hunter, Jerry Haymon, Sheila Chandler and Phillip Rucker) were indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft accused of funneling the more than $300,000 to themselves between October 2007 and November 2008 by inflating the purchase prices of four Gary properties, faking buyers' financial security, forging loan documents and filing fake mechanic's liens against three of the four properties for work that never was done, federal records state.http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

78. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter, Gary HUD Official, October 6, 2011 was suspended for her October 2010 federal indictment for her suspected involvement in an alleged real estate fraud scheme. Drago-Hunter is responsible for administering millions of dollars of federal money to dozens of social service agencies. The former director of community development for the city of Gary admitted Friday morning (01/13/2011) in federal court to working with a local businessman in a mortgage fraud scheme that took in almost $200,000. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter plead guilty to one count of wire fraud.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/9993779-418/former-gary-official-pleads-guilty-to-mortgage-scheme.html

HUD spokesman Jerry Brown said. “Gary has to help itself by cleaning up its act. It’s going to take that type of commitment in building its track record if the city is going to continue getting federal funds.”
April 19th, 2012 sentenced to spend 15 months in prison in addition to paying restitution of almost $88,000, a federal judge ruled Thursday afternoon.

79. Sheila Chandler has plead guilty, per court records, a year after her indictment on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

80. Frederick M. Cuppy, 70, Merrillville’s former town attorney and Peter G. Rogan, 65, formerly of Valparaiso, were charged October 3rd, 2011 in Chicago in connection with their roles in hiding money from federal investigators and a bank, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago. Cuppy was charged with one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, three counts of perjury and three counts of obstruction of justice. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/8018706-418/former-merrillville-attorney-indicted-by-feds.html
Cuppy is accused of hiding funds so that Rogan could avoid paying $188 million in judgment awarded against him in 2006.

81. Marilyn Krusas, 69, a Gary City Councilwoman since 2000, was charged with one count of tax evasion. Federal authorities allege Krusas failed to file tax returns since 1991. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

In addition to failing to file returns, officials allege she failed to pay taxes on an inheritance she received in the 2009-2010 tax year. The inheritance was $230,000.Krusas was scheduled for her initial appearance at 12:45 today. Krusas plead guilty March 2013.

82. George Pabey, E. Chicago Mayor, convicted on stealing less than $15,000

83. Jose Camacho, East Chicago city employee conviction along with Pabey.

84. & 85. The former treasurer for East Chicago's public schools will plead guilty to receiving a bribe — a federal offense that could carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Francisco "Frank" Ramirez, 49, of East Chicago, exchanged a school contract with a local construction company for thousands of dollars in free home repairs, according to a plea agreement filed Monday. Ramirez and Geraldo "Jerry" Lozano, 34, of Hobart, were indicted Thursday. The indictment was unsealed Friday. Lozano, who owned Green Tree Builders, is charged with paying a bribe to an agent or local government receiving federal funds, while Ramirez was charged with receiving that bribe. In 2008, East Chicago's schools received more than $10,000 in federal funding. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-school-treasurer-to-plead-guilty-to-accepting/article_a7eff7f7-583a-5f59-a47a-9fa2a4d9a8f8.html#ixzz1p2QVuXvM

Ramirez plead guilty. To receive the most benefit from his plea agreement, Ramirez must provide information that leads to a separate criminal prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Bell said during the hearing. Lozano was convicted and received 21 months in a federal prison.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/17391282-418/lozano-gets-21-months-for-bribery.html

86. Thomas Philpot, has held several county offices for 21 years, and currently the Lake County Coroner, was convicted on 08/24/12 after a 5 day trial. Philpot received a 18 month sentence. Some believe Philpot may have shared information with authorities in exchange for such a short sentence. Philpot was convicted of pocketed more than $24,000 from Indiana's federally funded child support incentive funds. He controlled the funds between 2004 and 2009 while serving as Lake County clerk. The fund were intended, as bonuses for line staff. Philpot and his two administrative assistants apparently pocketed the vast majority of these funds over the years Philpot held the County Clerk's Office. Philpot's education as a licensed attorney and medical doctor/podiatrist, appeared to work against him at trial.

The law forbids elected officials from giving themselves such bonuses without the approval of the seven-member fiscal body called the County Council.

The conviction strips Philpot from office as county coroner and all but ends his public career, which includes election as county coroner in 1992, 1996 and 2008; election as county clerk in 2002 and 2006; and his unsuccessful campaigns for Hammond mayor in 1995 and 1999, and for sheriff in 2010.

Philpot turned himself in to serve his reduced sentence of 18 months on Tuesday, March 19th, 2013. Was someone talking and someone else listening? http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/philpot-guilty-on-all-five-counts/article_2ab1a901-230b-5114-8ebe-91b84326c1f3.html

87. Virlissa Crenshaw, 42, of East Chicago, is charged with theft (September 2011) from local government, with another count of filing a false tax return for 2009. Sentence to be determined. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

Crenshaw was a clerk with the Merrillville Town Court at the time of the offenses. She has already signed a plea agreement filed today (October 2012) admitting her guilt to stealing cash bonds. The loss to the Town of Merrillville was $176,763 and the tax loss to the federal government was $55,203.

88. The FBI raided George Van Till's Office in 2012 confiscating computer records. Mr. VanTil is the Lake County Surveyor. A Grand Jury has been chaired investigating some matter in his office. The specific focus of the grand jury is unknown.

The raid resulted in a criminal indictment (May 17th, 2013), two counts of obstruction of justice and six federal felony counts of wire fraud. A "tip" lead the authorities to the investigation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-van-til-indicted-for-using-public-employees-resources-for/article_00f8f717-4dd4-5856-8869-eebc1c121d80.html

Van Till plead guilty, an agreement mad public on December 12th, 2013 noted, The government alleged VanTill ordered an employee, who had worked for the surveyor's office for about a month in November 2011, to do his campaign work and little else.

The plea agreement contains a statement by Van Til that he "was fully aware of the rules and regulations contained in the Lake County Employee Handbook and various Lake County ordinances regarding the prohibition of using Lake County office equipment for political purposes.

"I did knowingly and intentionally request and direct some employees of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office to engage in political campaign work while they were being paid with Lake County governmental funds. Furthermore, I knew that while doing this campaign work at the Lake County Surveyor’s Office, these employees were using Lake County property and equipment to engage in political activity.

"Furthermore, I knew that false payroll information for these employees was being submitted for full payment of their entire salaries, even though some of their time at the Surveyor’s office was used to engage in political activity, rather than the legitimate work of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office.

"I further agree that since some of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office’s employees who were engaging in political activity while being paid with Lake County government funds had their payroll checks electronically deposited, payment of these salaries would involve some type of an electronic wire transmission. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/lake-county-surveyor-van-til-admits-guilt-in-plea-agreement/article_55ecd377-7f49-57d7-8e56-b8372f9d11c4.html

Video of the indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_SxbMDD2RQ

89 a & 89 b. Alfonso Salinas Hammond 2nd District councilman in Hammond, was charged with receipt of a bribe by an agent of local government who was receiving federal funds.

Federal authorities allege that Salinas steered city tree cutting business to David Johnson, 56, of Munster, owner of Dave’s Tree Service. (Note David Johnson was a benefactor of the East Chicago Sidewalks for vote scandal, his company reportedly did hundreds of thousands of dollars of work in E. Chicago. Some say either McDermott or Cantrell or both brought Johnson into Hammond to continue the patronage tree. Johnson plead guilty and as of this writing his sentencing has been delayed several times. There is speculation he is cooperating with federal authorities).

Salinas is alleged to have steered $300,000 in casino funds that he had at his disposal to Johnson's company for tree cutting and tree removal work. Federal authorities further allege Salinas took a $10,500 kickback for steering the work Johnson’s way. Johnson was charged with payment of a bribe to an agent of local government. (Johnson later plead guilty). Salinas is also charged with four counts of willful failure to file tax returns from 2006 to 2009. Salinas agreed to a plea agreement on two counts April 2013.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

Salinas plead guilty in mid May 2013, sentenced to 42 months. Salinas surrender to Federal Authorities in October.

90. Juda Parks, 40, of East Chicago, is charged with two counts of failure to file income tax returns for years 2008 and 2009. Parks, and East Chicago City Councilman since 2008 and an East Chicago police officer, has signed a plea agreement admitting guilt on all charges.

Parks has agreed to cooperate with the federal government on other unspecified cases, according to federal authorities. (interesting statement) http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

91. Manuel Montalvo, 38, of East Chicago, is charged in an indictment with two counts of filing false tax returns for years 2009 and 2010. In an update, not referred to in the following link. Mr. Motalvo plead guilty and received four months probation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

The indictment alleges that Montalvo, the former director of the East Chicago Public Library, overstated unreimbursed business expenses and medical and dental expenses. Those expenses amounted to $32,000 in medical and dental expenses and $47,000 in employee and business expenses over the two years.

reached a deal with federal prosecutors Friday (August 2nd, 2013), pleading guilty to one of two counts of filing a false federal tax return. Montalvo faces up to three years in prison and a maximum $100,000 fine, according to the plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Hammond.

Montalvo pleaded guilty to providing false information on his 2009 federal tax return by claiming $23,282 in unreimbursed business expenses. Specifically, Montalvo claimed business expenses for use of his vehicle, travel, meals, entertainment and other expenses in his position as library director. However, the East Chicago Public Library Board already had reimbursed him for all employee-related expenses. He received 24 months probation.

In addition, Montalvo admits to falsely claiming $17,063 in unreimbursed medical expenses, according to court documents. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/montalvo-pleads-guilty-to-one-count-of-tax-fraud/article_6bbc3132-05d1-55fd-b29d-ab871918ce3d.html

Montalvo, Lake County style has pending federal litigation against East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, claiming he was illegally fired as library director because of his political support for now imprisoned, former Mayor George Pabey. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-library-director-sentenced-to-months-probation/article_3176ecaf-a201-5182-85ae-da93c011bc73.html

92. Although not specifically a county employee, Roman Perez of Crown Point and owner of Roman Art, Inc. has plead guilty to tax evasion and making false statements under oath during a bankruptcy proceeding. Perez understated $100,100 of 2007 income, of which the feds report $80,000 of 2007 income came from the Lake County Commissary Fund. Exactly what "Roman Art, Inc." did or does will be posted at a later time.

Perez as part of his plea agreement, agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.

Video of Indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qphJKtY041c

93. Hammond-based U.S. Attorney David Capp announced Monday that Gary City Councilman Ronier Scott, 42, is charged in Hammond federal court with two counts of willfully failing to file income tax returns for 2008 and 2009. Scott signed a plea agreement filed in conjunction with the charges, both misdemeanors, court records show.

Scott admits in the plea agreement he chose not to file federal returns for income he earned in 2008 and 2009 through his position on the Gary City Council and while working at a business owned by a family member. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/gary-councilman-ronier-scott-charged-with-failing-to-file-tax/article_2f46723d-2b4f-5ccc-8ec7-2b643715a438.html

94. An unnamed current sitting, elected county official who testified at the Philpot trial, reportedly has a sealed 2012 Grand Jury indictment.

95. A grand jury indicted a former Merrillville town councilman, Terrell Taylor, on a charge of forgery.

Terrell Taylor, 49, was indicted Thursday on one Class C felony count. The criminal charge stemmed from an investigation into his business, Taylor Development Corp., and was not related to anything he did on the Town Council, said Indiana State Police spokeswoman Ann Wojas.

Taylor served as a Town Council member between 2004 and 2008. He made history in 2003 by becoming one of Merrillville's first two African-American Town Council members.

He also helped establish the Merrillville Education Foundation in 1992, became its first president and has served as chairman of the town's Environmental Affairs Committee. He is president and CEO of the Merrillville-based contracting company Taylor Development Corp.

Town officials suspected Taylor had forged business documents in May 2013 and asked the state police to investigate, Wojas said. Merrillville police did not handle the investigation to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, she said.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/former-merrillville-town-councilman-indicted-on-forgery-charge/article_cd82f2a2-69d0-58ed-97d1-26d5d2cb0f15.html

95. And has a current grand jury been empaneled to review if sufficient evidence exist to charge a past county elected official?


Who do you think may be next?


Individuals and/or corporations named in the above links are presumed innocent unless a court of law finds otherwise.

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Sun Mar 30, 2014 7:49 pm 
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A partial list of Lake County Politicians, influential power brokers, some who have been convicted, others under indictment. I will add to this list from time to time as info becomes available. :(

Sources include publications such as the Hammond Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Suntimes, Gary Tribune Post and other media sources.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/article_decbcc06-e795-5b8c-a43b-0036497fa9cd.html


CONVICTED unless otherwise indicated

1. R. O. Johnson, Mayor of Gary Johnson was convicted by the feds in 1923 of conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act. He began serving his sentence in 1925. President Calvin Coolidge, having sympathy for his plight, granted him a pardon after his release. He ran 2 more times, successfully, for mayor. Evidently the citizenry, not surprisingly, did not hold his conviction against him? http://gdynets.webng.com/Good_Gov.htm

2. Stephen R. Goot, a Hammond Attorney received a 20-year sentence, one of the stiffest given to the 16 people convicted in the Operation Bar Tab investigation of corruption in Lake County courts. Goot served as the Hammond water board lawyer until the federal investigation that led to his conviction on ticket fixing. (1991). http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/article_c9e38ff7-e7e9-5f94-a9de-dd4002bcd2b3.html

3. Nick Morfas. Goot as we have read above was convicted at federal trial. The principal official with whom Goot interacted and conspired was deputy prosecutor Nick Morfas. Goot pleaded not guilty and went to trial; Morfas pleaded guilty and testified against Goot.

Morfas would steal and destroy the prosecutor's file. Sometimes Morfas would steal and destroy the court's file as well. Once the time for refiling had passed without any further action taken by the prosecutor, Goot would file a second motion to dismiss, which would be granted. A check then would be issued by the prosecutor's office to Goot, the holder of the bond receipt, but payable to the person who initially posted the bond. Goot would give this check to Morfas who would forge the payee's signature and retain the funds as his share in the scheme.

In some cases, Morfas would represent himself to DUI defendants as an attorney, sign Goot's name to the paper work or have Goot sign his name, and then steal the files and collect the fees. Morfas needed to use Goot's name because he could not use his own, being a deputy prosecutor. As a quid pro quo, Morfas either would help Goot with one of Goot's cases or would pay Goot a share of the fees. http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/america-plaintiff-stephen-goot-defendant-37294529

The jury found Goot guilty on both counts and he was sentenced to two concurrent twenty-year prison terms (the statutory maximum on each count) and a $25,000.00 fine. Morfas, who was sentenced later, got four years and a $6000.00 fine.

4. Metro Holovachke, former prosecuting attorney of Lake County, Indiana, all on tax charges. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

5. George Chacharis, Mayor of Gary, Indiana, who in approximately 1963, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to report and pay taxes on more than $250, 000 in payoffs from construction firms. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

6. Unsolved Murder: Hammond detectives have no doubts about who fired the fatal bullet into the back of Henry "Babe" Lopez's neck in 1979. They said they know without question who dropped a basketball-sized rock onto the gas pedal of the former East Chicago parks superintendent's city-owned vehicle, propelling his dead body into the Grand Calumet River.

Yet, 30 years later, Lopez's family still lives without closure. "They believed Babe Lopez was cooperating with the federal government investigation into corruption in East Chicago," Solan told The Times. "Babe Lopez was not cooperating, and that belief cost Babe his life."

Dec. 12, 1979, the last day Lopez was seen alive Former City Clerk Charles Pacurar, now East Chicago's city controller, told Hammond police in 1980 that Lopez's death may have been related to $900,000 in Park and Recreation Bond funds.
In 1974, before Lopez was parks superintendent, the City Council moved $900,000 to park development line item 713 in the budget, records state. Pacurar told police that line item did not exist.

The State Board of Accounts repeatedly questioned how the park bond money had been spent, state audits from 1977 to 1983 show. The board's field examiners asked then-City Controller James Knight to determine whether the funds had been used for the purpose for which the bonds were issued. As of Aug. 19, 1982, Knight had not replied, records state.

Numerous sources told police they believed Edelmiro "Corfi" DeJesus was involved in Lopez's death. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and city and county authorities in Illinois and Indiana believed DeJesus was a mob assassin involved in numerous illegal activities, records state.

DeJesus was shot and killed execution-style May 27, 1980 -- four months after Lopez's body was found. His death is still unsolved, East Chicago Police Chief Gus Flores said.

Summers said he believes DeJesus and his cronies were responsible for executing Lopez's murder. Then DeJesus was killed because he was mouthing off about killing Lopez, Summers added. Other sources contend the murder was drug-related.
But questions remained: Why was Lopez murdered? Who ordered the hit?

Summers recently told The Times the investigation into Lopez's murder "always pointed just straight in one direction" -- toward Vince Kirrin. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_3e42b286-61f5-593b-9f9c-f334a8a600be.html

Not directly related to the above piece, Hammond’s Mayor, Thomas McDermott Jr, in recent Indiana State Board of Account Audits, has refused to answer several questions asked by Auditors.

7. Unsolved Murder: East Chicago political insider Jay Given was shot , assignation style, attending a fund raiser for up and coming politician N. Atterson Spann, inside the vestibule of the Jockey Club. 30 years later, the case remains unsolved, but evidence points to a high-ranking former East Chicago police official who it’s alleged had a long term political beef with Givens. Interesting reading http://www.nwitimes.com/news/foreign-language/politico-given-murder-remains-unsolved-nearly-years-later/article_b6ddb22f-d8d7-5e20-b6a4-9ca7bbc4f50b.html

One woman, opted to spend 10 days in jail for contempt of court rather than cooperate fully with investigators. Investigators said they thought the Jockey Club worker was holding out important information. The woman felt like a "lost ball in tall weeds, ... (and) just wanted to forget that entire night," she told police. She had learned to see and not see, she said, because "in East Chicago, two people could be standing side-by-side, one could have his head blown off and the other would not have seen a thing."

8. Dr. John Nicosia, who served as East Chicago mayor from 1963 to 1971, was convicted in the late 1970s in connection with a $1 million sewer construction kickback scheme. http://www.indianabusinessnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=61424

9. In September, 1982, Alfred T. Willardo, (Respondent) was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury for Theft, a Class D Felony. The Respondent pled not guilty, was tried by a jury and, on February 9, 1983, was found guilty of Theft, a Class D Felony. On March 3, 1983, the trial court entered judgment against the Respondent finding him guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 35-20-2-7. The Respondent was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, to probation for one year, restitution, and was further required to resign as Coroner.

The indictment and conviction stemmed from Respondent's diversion of county funds into his campaign account. The Respondent had directed his former office manager and chief deputy to falsify and file mileage claims, some signed by the Respondent himself, the funds from which were eventually funneled into Respondent's campaign account.

The Respondent took an appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. A petition for rehearing and a petition to transfer to this Court were subsequently denied. http://in.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19860605_0030577.IN.htm/qx

Note, I have looked for a appeal reversal on the conviction, but did not find one.

10. Michael Jankovich, 76, of Hobart, former Lake County assessor and longtime local Democratic power: sentenced to prison for 6 years, fined $250,000 and ordered to forfeit $11,700 in bribe receipts, after pleading guilty to charges of racketeering and extortion in soliciting bribes from businessmen in return for cutting their tax bills. Approximately 1986.

11. Frank A.J. Stodola, 66, of Hammond, a former judge and county commissioner: sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering and extortion and ordered to forfeit $10,800 in bribe money, amid charges that he sold his commissioner`s office to the highest bidder. Approximately 1986.

12. Lake County Judge Orval Anderson, was convicted of perjury (1986) for his testimony at the trial of a court administrator. The conviction was associated with Operation Bar Tab. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court

13. Former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei was convicted of extortion while serving as sheriff in 1985. He entered the witness protection plan with his wife in about 1986. Interesting article by the Chicago Tribune on Bartolomei's rise to power and fall from political graces: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-11-13/features/8802160613_1_jail-lake-county-highest-bidder

14. Roland D. Watson, former deputy assessor of Calumet Township, which includes the city of Gary Watson, 37, of Gary, pled guilty of having conspired to share in bribes paid by businessmen to win tax breaks for their properties.

15. Carol Sinks, 42, an East Chicago woman, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge James Clement. Sinks was fined $1,000 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence Tuesday after admitting her part in a ghost payroll scheme in Hammond.

Sinks and the late John Klobuchar, a former North Township trustee, were accused of theft, ghost employment and conspiracy in a scheme in which Klobuchar hired Sinks to manage the township`s Hammond office at a $20,500 salary while the woman was working full time for a construction company. It had been reported Klobuchar and Sinks were in a relationship. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-13/news/8903170714_1_sinks-scheme-ghost

Klobuchar died before the case went to trial, but Lake County Prosecutor Jon DeGuilio said the guilty plea gave ``credibility to our ghost-payrolling statute.`

16. Unsolved Murder: The bodies of a man and woman found burned in a car on Gary`s south side are believed to be those of a sheriff`s deputy and his wife, authorities said Monday. The deputy had been active in several federal investigations and was scheduled to testify in an upcoming federal racketeering trial. The victims are Cpl. Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa.

Rosser was to testify in the trial of a Merrillville councilman and suspended sheriff`s officer who is accused of involvement in a shakedown racket. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-01-16/news/9001040803_1_bodies-sheriff-s-spokesman-police

On January 22, 1990, Magistrate Andrew P. Rodovich entered an order revoking Mokol's bond and detaining him pending trial as he found "there is probable cause to believe that Mr. Mokol was involved in the deaths of the Rossers [Rosser's wife also was murdered] in violation of the terms and conditions of his release." http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/

17. Michael Mokol Sr, 48, a 19-year police veteran and former Merrillville town trustee, had been convicted of funneling $33,000 in bribes to former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei, his political mentor. The payoffs in 1984 and 1985 came from Reginald P. Kinkade, an East Chicago distributor of video poker machines.

The money, in the form of political contributions, went to Sheriff Bartolomei through Mokol, buying protection from gambling raids. At the time the machines were operating legally in scores of taverns, clubs and fraternal halls in the county. Kinkade, however, paid bribes to police to avoid investigation, according to trial testimony.

Mokol was sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James Moody, an angry federal judge who said society ``has a right to strike back`` at corrupt law officers. In sentencing Mokol for bribery, Moody said he was sending a message to the 190 sheriff`s police officers and 850 other law officers in local communities throughout the county that bribery is intolerable. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-27/news/9003030302_1_gambling-raids-police-officers-law-officers

As another side note, found in a blog, http://bluecountyredstate.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-problems-at-lake-county-sheriffs.html is a very vivid, although not verifiable description of how Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa, his wife may have met their death. My bet Mokol Jr may have been involved.

There exist no supporting documentation the following anonymous poster's post, found on Buzz Cuts blog, has any fact to it. Exceptionally gruesome.
Buzz,

Let me share with you and your readers on how horrible the crime that was committed on Gary & Teresa Rosser.

Gary was part of the investigation of “Operation Lights Out.” This was Officer Gary Rosser’s third or fourth secret operation into the corruption in Lake County. It is also the one he feared the most for his safety, and for good reasons.

Officer Gary Rosser was set to testify against, SGT. Mike Mokol Sr. (a Merrillville councilman who at one time was chief of the sheriff`s police) Unbeknownst Officer Gary Rosser, Mike Mokol Sr. had taken a contract hit out on his life for $10,000.

Officer Rosser was lured into a false real estate deal by his so called friend, George Swetkey (see immediate posting below), who was paid by Mike Mokol Sr. to do the deadly deed.

First they kidnapped Gary’s wife Teresa. They beat her, they raped her and they took pictures of what they did to her.

They then set up a meeting at the Red Rooster restaurant with Officer Rosser. They told Officer Rosser that they had beaten his wife and if he didn’t leave peacefully, they would order her killed.

When they got Officer Rosser to the location where his wife, Teresa was, Officer Rosser tried to fight them off. He was beaten; stabbed; cuffed (both arms and legs) and they tied a noose over his neck to choke him. When this didn’t kill him they shot him several times.

They then stuffed Officer Rosser and his wife into the car in which they would be found. When they set the car on fire, Officer Gary Rosser was still alive. His lungs had smoke inhalation.

Gary left behind two children, his mother Ruby, died six months later of a broken heart.

Teresa had three children, who a year later became orphans after losing their father (Teresa’s first husband) to a heart attack at age 33, which many attributed to the stress of this situation.

And to think that 21 years later, the Lake County Sheriff’s department is being investigated for the same issues that destroyed the Rosser family…When will the citizens of this county stand up and quit supporting these criminal thugs!
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/
http://ftp.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/939/939.F2d.436.90-1777.html

17a. Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife.

``Any thought I have that he might somehow walk the streets again makes me shudder,`` said Judge James Letsinger of Lake County Superior Court, Crown Point, when he imposed the near-maximum prison terms for double murder. `This sentence is intended to see that he doesn`t.``

Swetkey, for his part, stood mute. ``I haven`t anything to say,`` he muttered softly.Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-08-25/news/9003110650_1_inherently-evil-person-murders-sentence

17b. As a interesting side note, Mike Mokol Jr., was very much like his father. Mokol Jr. - the serially arrested son of late Merrillville Town Councilman and Lake County Police Chief Michael Mokol Sr. Mokol Sr., was convicted in 1990 of federal racketeering and illegal gambling charges for taking money to provide police protection for illegal gambling operations. Molok Jr, a, convicted felon -- was sentenced to 262 months in prison and five years of supervised release. May 2010. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/3f068990-2d53-5b33-8824-ff231ebd1268.html

Mokol Jr., a convicted felon with a criminal history spanning three states, is charged in the federal case with three counts of possessing specific handguns and ammunition after his criminal convictions and one count of using a specific gun during a drug trafficking crime. Prosecutors claim he orchestrated burglaries that yielded the guns. He is specifically charged with possessing a 9-mm handgun and a .45-caliber handgun.

18. Alan Frost, introduced to Hammond, believed by the McDermot Sr Administration. There had been a question on how Frost readily acquired the abandoned JC Pennies building on Hohman Avenue. Frost had the full blessing of the city to remodel an old store downtown for a computer school that was supposed to bring hundreds of jobs to Hammond. He eventually went to prison after being convicted in Florida for scamming the federal government on that venture.

19. Stewart Roth, Hammond Sanitary district Supt. admitted to illegally discharging untreated waste into the Grand Calumet River. Roth plead guilty in July of 1990. Roth faced a possible prison term of 20 years and a fine of $40,000.

Problems at the plant came to the forefront in 1988, after a growing stench at the plant was reported by north side residents and a 9-foot-deep . . .an``island`` of untreated human waste in the Grand Calumet was discovered by environmentalists; that unprocessed volume ``as enough to fill the Exxon Valdez 185 times.....the raw sewage was enough to cover Hammond`s approximately 25 square miles 30 inches deep.

The investigation found that Roth had reported that 30 billion gallons of sewage had been processed by the plant from Jan. 1, 1986, through May 31, 1988, when only 12 billion gallons were treated. Why he did this was never disclosed. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-14/news/9002270497_1_raw-sewage-sanitary-board-treatment-plant
Roth apparently didn't learn from his first go around.

In 2012 Roth plead guilty in Federal Court for illegal dumping. Unfortunately Roth and others operated, undiscovered for years and years, dumping untreated waste in Hammond sewage system at a company owned site at 141st St. Hammond authorities were apparently unaware this site was dumping illegal waste for years and years. It appears the Hammond Officials never inspected the site. So much for Hammond’s inspectional services. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/12254534-418/manager-at-ec-business-admits-illegal-dumping.html

20. Peter Benjamin, former Lake County auditor and assessor, paying bribes to Lake County Councilman Troy Montgomery.

21. Troy Montgomery, former Lake County councilman, accepting Benjamin's bribes.

22. & 23. Lake County Judge Steven Bielak, 34, pleaded guilty in Hammond before U.S. District Judge James Moody. Bielak, A traffic court judge in Lake County, Ind., and Robert Balitewicz, 49, a court clerk pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges arising from a federal investigation of the disposition of drunk driving cases in northwest Indiana. 1991

The two had been charged by a federal grand jury in a 28-count indictment in June 1986, for failing to notify the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles of drunk-driving convictions as required by state law. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court http://www.justice.gov/osg/briefs/1989/sg890014.txt

24. Former Hammond City Controller Edward Brown, has pleaded guilty to income-tax charges and had cooperated with federal authorities. Brown, 42, was charged in April (1991) by the U.S. attorney's office for failure to report all his income for calendar year 1985.

June 1991, a full six years after his income tax evasion, Former city Controller Edward A. Brown implicated himself and others Thursday in a bribery scheme to protect video-poker gambling in Hammond. Brown, 42, of Hammond was pleading guilty before U.S. District Court Judge James Moody to a felony tax-fraud charge that he failed to disclose protection money he received from Reginald Kinkade.

He said Kinkade, owner of Variety Amusement Co. of East Chicago, gave him up to $4,000 each month from the fall of 1984 to the end of 1985 to keep police from seizing about 50 poker machines …

25. Glenn Kuipers, a former executive director of East Chicago's Tri-City Mental Health Center, and Noah Atterson Spann, a former county commissioner from the city, were indicted in the late 1980s for bribery and bilking taxpayers in connection with publicly buying an East Chicago nursing home at an exorbitant price.

Kuipers and his wife entered the federal witness protection program after he pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Spann, who went to prison in 1988. He finished his sentence 11 years later, was hired by former Mayor Robert Pastrick to run his 1999 re-election campaign and later was named director of community services.

26. Vince Kirrin, an East known as a back-room politician who wielded immense influence over East Chicago and Lake County politics. Kirrin was indicted during a federal investigation into corruption in Lake County and served time in prison for conspiracy and mail fraud convictions. Kirrin died in 1998. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-07-20/news/9103210240_1_bribes-cleaning-tax-fraud

Kirrin said he used elbow grease to vigorously clean the Lake County (Ind.) government center, transforming the courthouse, jail and office building ``from a pigsty into a showpiece.`` 1985-86 contract, which went to a firm nominally headed by his nephew, Joe Macko.

Macko testified that his uncle surprised him with a gift of $2,000 only days before he was called to testify under subpoena about the cleaning contract before a federal grand jury. Capp said the money was a bribe. Macko admitted he had no experience cleaning public buildings, unless``GI parties in the military`` was a qualifier. He said he performed no executive duties, and had no office.

The government contended that, in order to get the contract, Kirrin paid $30,000 in bribes to Lake County Commissioner Steve Corey. Corey denied the charge, saying any money from Kirrin was nothing more than a loan to the his family`s bakery business, and the loan had been repaid.

Former County Commissioner N. Atterson Spann testified against Kirrin, saying he and Corey were aware of Kirrin`s behind-the-scenes role. Spann is serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for taking bribes to influence county business. He said he hoped his testimony would earn him a sentence reduction.

But a federal court jury in Hammond convicted the East Chicago businessman of paying bribes to win a $246,000-a-year, no-bid contract to clean the center. Kirrin wished to avoid the public spotlight, said Capp, because he already was receiving up to $660,000 a year in county printing business.

27. & 28. Former Lake County Recorder Robert Freeland and his chief deputy, Valerie Levy, were charged Wednesday in connection with a money-laundering scheme that reportedly originated in the Lake County recorder's office. Article found in Northwest Indiana Times archives, when the Times was a real newspaper. Article dated May 20, 1999 12:00 am by ROBIN BIESEN. http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/ex-county-officials-charged/article_0503d665-684c-59fa-8ec5-7454e3cf6b72.html

According to DeGuilio, a consortium of title companies led by Ticor Title Insurance Co. collectively paid Microfilm Services and later Data Film $6,000 a month. Both firms were created by Freeland and Levy. Between 1989, when Freeland took office, to June 1995, the two crafted a scheme in which they allegedly diverted nearly 500,000 that would have been paid to the county in copying fees from land title companies into a pair of companies they created.

Data Film was created after the reported owner of Microfilm ervices, Ernest T. Williams, died. Court records show Data Film was owned by Veronica Adams, Levy's niece and a former employee of the recorder's office. In exchange for the fee, the title companies were supposed to receive microfilm copies of land documents. Microfilm copies of the documents were produced, but not by Freeland's companies. Federal documents indicate county employees did the work for which Freeland and Levy were paid.

Court documents show Levy took the title company checks that were sent to a post office box and cashed them at NBD Bank, taking a majority of the proceeds in cash.

U.S. Attorney Jon DeGuilio said Freeland, 59, and Levy, 48, a member of the Calumet Township Board, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit money-laundering. Each could receive sentences of up to five years in jail or fines of $500,000.

29. Noah Atterson Spann, 48, of East Chicago, the highest elected black county executive and a fellow county commissioner with Bartolomei: sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, fined $25,000 and ordered to forfeit $29,615 in payoff money.

28. Rudy Byron, 51, of Gary, a Spann protégé and former Lake County inspector: sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined $15,000 for accepting payoffs to help two janitorial firms get lucrative county contracts and for concealing payments of $50,000 from his income-tax returns.

30. East Chicago City Councilman Frank Kollintzas, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds, lying to the FBI. Frankie chose to flee to Greece. As a Greek national Frankie is exempt from extradition by Greece law. 11 years.

31. East Chicago City Councilman Joe De La Cruz, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. 6 years.

32. East Chicago City Controller Edwardo Maldonado, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. Convicted a second time in July 2006 for using public money to pay his defense attorneys. 130 months.

33. East Chicago City Councilman Adrian Santos, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy in connection with the $24 million sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

34. Joel Markovich, former Lake County councilman and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 18 months.

35. Robert J. Velligan, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

36. Marilyn and Gregory J. Gill, contractors, tax and bankruptcy fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

37. Dimitrios Sazalis, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

38. East Chicago Parks Superintendent Jose Valdez Jr., fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

39. East Chicago City Engineer Pedro Porras, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

40. East Chicago City Councilman Randall Artis, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

41. Terrance Artis, brother of Randall Artis and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 5 months.

42. Gerry Nannenga, former carpenter's union official, accepting bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

43. Kevin Pastrick, son of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

On May 2, 2005. Pastrick began serving his federal prison term for paying Gerry Nannenga, a former executive secretary and business manager for the Northwest Indiana District Council of Carpenters, bribes to influence the investment of $10 million of carpenters' pension money in Coffee Creek, a Porter County land deal that earned Pastrick $600,000 in commissions.

Nannenga pleaded guilty to accepting bribes last year and awaits sentencing April 8. Peter Manous, a former chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party and friend of Pastrick, is serving a 27-month sentence for his role as a go-between in the bribery and its cover-up.

A federal jury convicted Kevin Pastrick's business partner, 58-year-old Carl Paul Ihle Jr., of Lakes of the Four Seasons, of attempting to cover up the bribery investigation with lies and fraudulent documents. A judge sentenced him to 21 months in prison.

Pastrick also must pay a $177,500 fine in the federal case. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/pastrick-prostitution-charge-dropped/article_03ac73bf-2e76-5972-a1a9-acab8ba9e36f.html

44. Peter Manous, former Indiana Democratic chairman, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

45. Carl Paul Ihle Jr., co-owner with Kevin Pastrick of Sand Creek Sales, forging documents and lying about the Coffee Creek land deal.

46. & 47. Katie Hall and Junifer Hall, In May 2002, Katie Hall, again serving as Gary City Clerk, and her daughter, Chief Deputy Clerk Junifer Hall, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, extortion, and mail fraud.

Junifer Hall was also charged with five counts of perjury. Hall eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to house arrest and probation. Junifer Hall was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Gary city clerk, was convicted of extorting $19,000 in campaign contributions from office employees. Hall was Indiana's first African-American member of Congress. Someone in her office reached out to federal authorities asking for relief.

48. Jojuana Meeks, embezzling money from Gary Urban Enterprise Association. This embezzlement involved millions, upon millions of dollars, diverted from its original use to revitalize Gary for personal use. A common theme in NWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Urban_Enterprise_Association

49. Wanda Joshua, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township.

50. Charmaine Pratchett, embezzling money from GUEA.

51. Derrick Earls, embezzling from GUEA board.

52. Johnnie Wright, embezzling from GUEA board.

53. Greg Hill, contractor who didn't report GUEA income.

54. Will Smith Jr., Lake County Council president, tax evasion for a questionable land deal with GUEA.

55. Roosevelt Powell, former delinquent tax collector for Lake County, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

56. Former East Chicago Police Chief Edward Samuels, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

57. East Chicago Building Commission Miguel "Mike" Arredondo, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

58. Gary City Parks Superintendent Kimberly Lyles, lying to federal agents about influence peddling.

59. Assistant County Building Administrator Jan Allison, extortion.

60. G. Gregory Cvitkovich, former North Township trustee, tax fraud.

61. James H. Fife III, a former special assistant to the East Chicago mayor, federal tax fraud.

62. Karen Krahn-Fife, federal tax fraud.

63. Robert White, Gary city councilman, fraud.

64. Lake County Recorder Morris Carter, extortion.

65. Paul Hernandez, union fraud and corruption.

66. Ken Castaldi, union fraud and corruption.

67. Otho Lyles III, tax evasion and lying to FBI in Gary City Hall investigation.

68. Jewell Harris Sr Convicted of double-billing Gary for debris-hauling work at The Steel Yard stadium. Harris was once one of the most powerful political figures in Gary. Harris, former Mayor Scott King’s campaign manager until the two had a bitter split, had been charged with seven counts of money laundering and mail and wire fraud stemming from work Harris did hauling debris from the stadium site in 2001. Convicted that he bilked the city out of $1.5 million while working on the $45 million baseball stadium.

69. Willie Harris, Gary attorney, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

70. Bob Cantrell , a long time East Chicago political operative. Cantrell was reportedly behind McDermott Sr first run for Hammond Mayor, was convicted of tax evasion and insurance fraud. Cantrell used his influence with area elected officials, judges., etc to obtain contracts for a counseling company owned and operated by Nancy Fromm. Cantrell's income was reported in federal transcripts to be over $200,000 a year. Who says crime doesn't pay?

71. Nancy Fromm, addiction counselor, lying to federal agents. Fromm reportedly derived substantial income for referrals tor her company, due to Bobby Cantrell's political connections.

72. Former Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga, fraud in using office to personally benefit her family business.

73. Ann Marie Karras , age 65 of Gary, guilty in April 2009 of two fraud counts for taking checks from a federal contract between 2000 and 2002. (Seven Years Later ) Karras was serving as Calumet Township as the Deputy of Finance.

Co-conspirators Calumet Township Trustee, Dozier T. Allen, Jr., and three of his senior employees at the trustee’s office, Wanda Joshua, and Albert Young, Jr. were charged and found guilty of mail fraud. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

74. Dozier Allen, Calumet Township Trustee, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township, found guilty.

75. Albert Young Jr., who signed a plea agreement and admitted guilt, to two years on probation, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

76. Morris Carter, County Recorder took a $1,000 bribe. http://articles.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010-08-25/news/28516846_1_schererville-town-judge-east-chicago-city-council-robert-pastrick

77. Jerry Haymon has plead guilty, per court records, a year after their indictment on on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The defendants (Drago-Hunter, Jerry Haymon, Sheila Chandler and Phillip Rucker) were indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft accused of funneling the more than $300,000 to themselves between October 2007 and November 2008 by inflating the purchase prices of four Gary properties, faking buyers' financial security, forging loan documents and filing fake mechanic's liens against three of the four properties for work that never was done, federal records state.http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

78. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter, Gary HUD Official, October 6, 2011 was suspended for her October 2010 federal indictment for her suspected involvement in an alleged real estate fraud scheme. Drago-Hunter is responsible for administering millions of dollars of federal money to dozens of social service agencies. The former director of community development for the city of Gary admitted Friday morning (01/13/2011) in federal court to working with a local businessman in a mortgage fraud scheme that took in almost $200,000. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter plead guilty to one count of wire fraud.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/9993779-418/former-gary-official-pleads-guilty-to-mortgage-scheme.html

HUD spokesman Jerry Brown said. “Gary has to help itself by cleaning up its act. It’s going to take that type of commitment in building its track record if the city is going to continue getting federal funds.”
April 19th, 2012 sentenced to spend 15 months in prison in addition to paying restitution of almost $88,000, a federal judge ruled Thursday afternoon.

79. Sheila Chandler has plead guilty, per court records, a year after her indictment on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

80. Frederick M. Cuppy, 70, Merrillville’s former town attorney and Peter G. Rogan, 65, formerly of Valparaiso, were charged October 3rd, 2011 in Chicago in connection with their roles in hiding money from federal investigators and a bank, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago. Cuppy was charged with one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, three counts of perjury and three counts of obstruction of justice. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/8018706-418/former-merrillville-attorney-indicted-by-feds.html
Cuppy is accused of hiding funds so that Rogan could avoid paying $188 million in judgment awarded against him in 2006.

81. Marilyn Krusas, 69, a Gary City Councilwoman since 2000, was charged with one count of tax evasion. Federal authorities allege Krusas failed to file tax returns since 1991. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

In addition to failing to file returns, officials allege she failed to pay taxes on an inheritance she received in the 2009-2010 tax year. The inheritance was $230,000.Krusas was scheduled for her initial appearance at 12:45 today. Krusas plead guilty March 2013.

82. George Pabey, E. Chicago Mayor, convicted on stealing less than $15,000

83. Jose Camacho, East Chicago city employee conviction along with Pabey.

84. & 85. The former treasurer for East Chicago's public schools will plead guilty to receiving a bribe — a federal offense that could carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Francisco "Frank" Ramirez, 49, of East Chicago, exchanged a school contract with a local construction company for thousands of dollars in free home repairs, according to a plea agreement filed Monday. Ramirez and Geraldo "Jerry" Lozano, 34, of Hobart, were indicted Thursday. The indictment was unsealed Friday. Lozano, who owned Green Tree Builders, is charged with paying a bribe to an agent or local government receiving federal funds, while Ramirez was charged with receiving that bribe. In 2008, East Chicago's schools received more than $10,000 in federal funding. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-school-treasurer-to-plead-guilty-to-accepting/article_a7eff7f7-583a-5f59-a47a-9fa2a4d9a8f8.html#ixzz1p2QVuXvM

Ramirez plead guilty. To receive the most benefit from his plea agreement, Ramirez must provide information that leads to a separate criminal prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Bell said during the hearing. Lozano was convicted and received 21 months in a federal prison.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/17391282-418/lozano-gets-21-months-for-bribery.html

86. Thomas Philpot, has held several county offices for 21 years, and currently the Lake County Coroner, was convicted on 08/24/12 after a 5 day trial. Philpot received a 18 month sentence. Some believe Philpot may have shared information with authorities in exchange for such a short sentence. Philpot was convicted of pocketed more than $24,000 from Indiana's federally funded child support incentive funds. He controlled the funds between 2004 and 2009 while serving as Lake County clerk. The fund were intended, as bonuses for line staff. Philpot and his two administrative assistants apparently pocketed the vast majority of these funds over the years Philpot held the County Clerk's Office. Philpot's education as a licensed attorney and medical doctor/podiatrist, appeared to work against him at trial.

The law forbids elected officials from giving themselves such bonuses without the approval of the seven-member fiscal body called the County Council.

The conviction strips Philpot from office as county coroner and all but ends his public career, which includes election as county coroner in 1992, 1996 and 2008; election as county clerk in 2002 and 2006; and his unsuccessful campaigns for Hammond mayor in 1995 and 1999, and for sheriff in 2010.

Philpot turned himself in to serve his reduced sentence of 18 months on Tuesday, March 19th, 2013. Was someone talking and someone else listening? http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/philpot-guilty-on-all-five-counts/article_2ab1a901-230b-5114-8ebe-91b84326c1f3.html

87. Virlissa Crenshaw, 42, of East Chicago, is charged with theft (September 2011) from local government, with another count of filing a false tax return for 2009. Sentence to be determined. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

Crenshaw was a clerk with the Merrillville Town Court at the time of the offenses. She has already signed a plea agreement filed today (October 2012) admitting her guilt to stealing cash bonds. The loss to the Town of Merrillville was $176,763 and the tax loss to the federal government was $55,203.

88. The FBI raided George Van Till's Office in 2012 confiscating computer records. Mr. VanTil is the Lake County Surveyor. A Grand Jury has been chaired investigating some matter in his office. The specific focus of the grand jury is unknown.

The raid resulted in a criminal indictment (May 17th, 2013), two counts of obstruction of justice and six federal felony counts of wire fraud. A "tip" lead the authorities to the investigation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-van-til-indicted-for-using-public-employees-resources-for/article_00f8f717-4dd4-5856-8869-eebc1c121d80.html

Van Till plead guilty, an agreement mad public on December 12th, 2013 noted, The government alleged VanTill ordered an employee, who had worked for the surveyor's office for about a month in November 2011, to do his campaign work and little else.

The plea agreement contains a statement by Van Til that he "was fully aware of the rules and regulations contained in the Lake County Employee Handbook and various Lake County ordinances regarding the prohibition of using Lake County office equipment for political purposes.

"I did knowingly and intentionally request and direct some employees of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office to engage in political campaign work while they were being paid with Lake County governmental funds. Furthermore, I knew that while doing this campaign work at the Lake County Surveyor’s Office, these employees were using Lake County property and equipment to engage in political activity.

"Furthermore, I knew that false payroll information for these employees was being submitted for full payment of their entire salaries, even though some of their time at the Surveyor’s office was used to engage in political activity, rather than the legitimate work of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office.

"I further agree that since some of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office’s employees who were engaging in political activity while being paid with Lake County government funds had their payroll checks electronically deposited, payment of these salaries would involve some type of an electronic wire transmission. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/lake-county-surveyor-van-til-admits-guilt-in-plea-agreement/article_55ecd377-7f49-57d7-8e56-b8372f9d11c4.html

Video of the indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_SxbMDD2RQ

89 a & 89 b. Alfonso Salinas Hammond 2nd District councilman in Hammond, was charged with receipt of a bribe by an agent of local government who was receiving federal funds.

Federal authorities allege that Salinas steered city tree cutting business to David Johnson, 56, of Munster, owner of Dave’s Tree Service. (Note David Johnson was a benefactor of the East Chicago Sidewalks for vote scandal, his company reportedly did hundreds of thousands of dollars of work in E. Chicago. Some say either McDermott or Cantrell or both brought Johnson into Hammond to continue the patronage tree. Johnson plead guilty and as of this writing his sentencing has been delayed several times. There is speculation he is cooperating with federal authorities).

Salinas is alleged to have steered $300,000 in casino funds that he had at his disposal to Johnson's company for tree cutting and tree removal work. Federal authorities further allege Salinas took a $10,500 kickback for steering the work Johnson’s way. Johnson was charged with payment of a bribe to an agent of local government. (Johnson later plead guilty). Salinas is also charged with four counts of willful failure to file tax returns from 2006 to 2009. Salinas agreed to a plea agreement on two counts April 2013.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

Salinas plead guilty in mid May 2013, sentenced to 42 months. Salinas surrender to Federal Authorities in October.

90. Juda Parks, 40, of East Chicago, is charged with two counts of failure to file income tax returns for years 2008 and 2009. Parks, and East Chicago City Councilman since 2008 and an East Chicago police officer, has signed a plea agreement admitting guilt on all charges.

Parks has agreed to cooperate with the federal government on other unspecified cases, according to federal authorities. (interesting statement) http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

91. Manuel Montalvo, 38, of East Chicago, is charged in an indictment with two counts of filing false tax returns for years 2009 and 2010. In an update, not referred to in the following link. Mr. Motalvo plead guilty and received four months probation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

The indictment alleges that Montalvo, the former director of the East Chicago Public Library, overstated unreimbursed business expenses and medical and dental expenses. Those expenses amounted to $32,000 in medical and dental expenses and $47,000 in employee and business expenses over the two years.

reached a deal with federal prosecutors Friday (August 2nd, 2013), pleading guilty to one of two counts of filing a false federal tax return. Montalvo faces up to three years in prison and a maximum $100,000 fine, according to the plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Hammond.

Montalvo pleaded guilty to providing false information on his 2009 federal tax return by claiming $23,282 in unreimbursed business expenses. Specifically, Montalvo claimed business expenses for use of his vehicle, travel, meals, entertainment and other expenses in his position as library director. However, the East Chicago Public Library Board already had reimbursed him for all employee-related expenses. He received 24 months probation.

In addition, Montalvo admits to falsely claiming $17,063 in unreimbursed medical expenses, according to court documents. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/montalvo-pleads-guilty-to-one-count-of-tax-fraud/article_6bbc3132-05d1-55fd-b29d-ab871918ce3d.html

Montalvo, Lake County style has pending federal litigation against East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, claiming he was illegally fired as library director because of his political support for now imprisoned, former Mayor George Pabey. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-library-director-sentenced-to-months-probation/article_3176ecaf-a201-5182-85ae-da93c011bc73.html

92. Although not specifically a county employee, Roman Perez of Crown Point and owner of Roman Art, Inc. has plead guilty to tax evasion and making false statements under oath during a bankruptcy proceeding. Perez understated $100,100 of 2007 income, of which the feds report $80,000 of 2007 income came from the Lake County Commissary Fund. Exactly what "Roman Art, Inc." did or does will be posted at a later time.

Perez as part of his plea agreement, agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.

Video of Indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qphJKtY041c

93. Hammond-based U.S. Attorney David Capp announced Monday that Gary City Councilman Ronier Scott, 42, is charged in Hammond federal court with two counts of willfully failing to file income tax returns for 2008 and 2009. Scott signed a plea agreement filed in conjunction with the charges, both misdemeanors, court records show.

Scott admits in the plea agreement he chose not to file federal returns for income he earned in 2008 and 2009 through his position on the Gary City Council and while working at a business owned by a family member. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/gary-councilman-ronier-scott-charged-with-failing-to-file-tax/article_2f46723d-2b4f-5ccc-8ec7-2b643715a438.html

94. An unnamed current sitting, elected county official who testified at the Philpot trial, reportedly has a sealed 2012 Grand Jury indictment.

95. A grand jury indicted a former Merrillville town councilman, Terrell Taylor, on a charge of forgery.

Terrell Taylor, 49, was indicted Thursday on one Class C felony count. The criminal charge stemmed from an investigation into his business, Taylor Development Corp., and was not related to anything he did on the Town Council, said Indiana State Police spokeswoman Ann Wojas.

Taylor served as a Town Council member between 2004 and 2008. He made history in 2003 by becoming one of Merrillville's first two African-American Town Council members.

He also helped establish the Merrillville Education Foundation in 1992, became its first president and has served as chairman of the town's Environmental Affairs Committee. He is president and CEO of the Merrillville-based contracting company Taylor Development Corp.

Town officials suspected Taylor had forged business documents in May 2013 and asked the state police to investigate, Wojas said. Merrillville police did not handle the investigation to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, she said.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/former-merrillville-town-councilman-indicted-on-forgery-charge/article_cd82f2a2-69d0-58ed-97d1-26d5d2cb0f15.html

96. And has a current grand jury been empaneled to review if sufficient evidence exist to charge a past county elected official?

97. Well is trouble brewing in the Calumet Township Office of Mary Elgin. You bet ya. http://nwigazette.com/2014/03/28/audits-key-to-understanding-fbi-raids-on-elgin-offices/

98, 99 & 100. A trifecta and a family affair~! A close political allied of Hammond's Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr was indicted April 16th 2014, charged with public corruption in an 11 Count Indictment filed by the US Attorney's Office.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office, a conspiracy between Keith Soderquist and his wife, Deborah Soderquist were charged with committing wire fraud in connection with financial transactions involving the Mayor’s campaign finance account and the Lake Station Food Pantry account. These accounts were allegedly used by the Soderquists to obtain cash for personal expenses, including gambling activities at casinos in Indiana and Michigan.


The second indictment names Keith Soderquist, 44, Deborah Soderquist, 55, and Miranda Brakley, Soderquist's step daughter, 33, a former employee of Lake Station. Brakley is charged with theft of funds from Lake Station from Aug. 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012. Brakley is also charged with bankruptcy fraud for failing to disclose certain payments received from Lake Station on her bankruptcy schedules, the press release said.

Keith and Deborah Soderquist are charged in the second indictment for being accessories after the fact. The last count alleges that Keith and Deborah Soderquist structured a series of financial transactions in order to avoid the reporting requirements under federal law, the press release said. The indictment alleges that in December 2012, the Soderquists obtained $15,000 from an individual. They instructed that individual to write three checks in amounts less than $10,000 (the reporting requirement under federal law) and to back date two of those checks. From Dec. 8-12, 2012, those checks were cashed at different branches of JP Morgan Chase bank, the press release said.
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/26889254-418/lake-station-mayor-wife-indicted.html

Soderquist's daughter's name has surfaced in other areas, from misplacing a bag of cash, to some questions, if I remember correctly, with regard to use of sick leave.

Who do you think may be next?




Individuals and/or corporations named in the above links are presumed innocent unless a court of law finds otherwise.

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


Last edited by justcallmetommy on Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 10:10 pm 
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Talk around the area is that a very important politician is going to be in the spotlight shortly. His name has been bounced around as of late but with facts in hand, nothing has happened so far. An outside source has brought this to light with individuals out of the area and they have no other reason not to bring it into the forfront.


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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:34 pm 
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A partial list of Lake County Politicians, influential power brokers, some who have been convicted, others under indictment. I will add to this list from time to time as info becomes available. :(

Sources include publications such as the Hammond Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Suntimes, Gary Tribune Post and other media sources.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/article_decbcc06-e795-5b8c-a43b-0036497fa9cd.html


CONVICTED unless otherwise indicated

1. R. O. Johnson, Mayor of Gary Johnson was convicted by the feds in 1923 of conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act. He began serving his sentence in 1925. President Calvin Coolidge, having sympathy for his plight, granted him a pardon after his release. He ran 2 more times, successfully, for mayor. Evidently the citizenry, not surprisingly, did not hold his conviction against him? http://gdynets.webng.com/Good_Gov.htm

2. Stephen R. Goot, a Hammond Attorney received a 20-year sentence, one of the stiffest given to the 16 people convicted in the Operation Bar Tab investigation of corruption in Lake County courts. Goot served as the Hammond water board lawyer until the federal investigation that led to his conviction on ticket fixing. (1991). http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/article_c9e38ff7-e7e9-5f94-a9de-dd4002bcd2b3.html

3. Nick Morfas. Goot as we have read above was convicted at federal trial. The principal official with whom Goot interacted and conspired was deputy prosecutor Nick Morfas. Goot pleaded not guilty and went to trial; Morfas pleaded guilty and testified against Goot.

Morfas would steal and destroy the prosecutor's file. Sometimes Morfas would steal and destroy the court's file as well. Once the time for refiling had passed without any further action taken by the prosecutor, Goot would file a second motion to dismiss, which would be granted. A check then would be issued by the prosecutor's office to Goot, the holder of the bond receipt, but payable to the person who initially posted the bond. Goot would give this check to Morfas who would forge the payee's signature and retain the funds as his share in the scheme.

In some cases, Morfas would represent himself to DUI defendants as an attorney, sign Goot's name to the paper work or have Goot sign his name, and then steal the files and collect the fees. Morfas needed to use Goot's name because he could not use his own, being a deputy prosecutor. As a quid pro quo, Morfas either would help Goot with one of Goot's cases or would pay Goot a share of the fees. http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/america-plaintiff-stephen-goot-defendant-37294529

The jury found Goot guilty on both counts and he was sentenced to two concurrent twenty-year prison terms (the statutory maximum on each count) and a $25,000.00 fine. Morfas, who was sentenced later, got four years and a $6000.00 fine.

4. Metro Holovachke, former prosecuting attorney of Lake County, Indiana, all on tax charges. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

5. George Chacharis, Mayor of Gary, Indiana, who in approximately 1963, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to report and pay taxes on more than $250, 000 in payoffs from construction firms. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

6. Unsolved Murder: Hammond detectives have no doubts about who fired the fatal bullet into the back of Henry "Babe" Lopez's neck in 1979. They said they know without question who dropped a basketball-sized rock onto the gas pedal of the former East Chicago parks superintendent's city-owned vehicle, propelling his dead body into the Grand Calumet River.

Yet, 30 years later, Lopez's family still lives without closure. "They believed Babe Lopez was cooperating with the federal government investigation into corruption in East Chicago," Solan told The Times. "Babe Lopez was not cooperating, and that belief cost Babe his life."

Dec. 12, 1979, the last day Lopez was seen alive Former City Clerk Charles Pacurar, now East Chicago's city controller, told Hammond police in 1980 that Lopez's death may have been related to $900,000 in Park and Recreation Bond funds.
In 1974, before Lopez was parks superintendent, the City Council moved $900,000 to park development line item 713 in the budget, records state. Pacurar told police that line item did not exist.

The State Board of Accounts repeatedly questioned how the park bond money had been spent, state audits from 1977 to 1983 show. The board's field examiners asked then-City Controller James Knight to determine whether the funds had been used for the purpose for which the bonds were issued. As of Aug. 19, 1982, Knight had not replied, records state.

Numerous sources told police they believed Edelmiro "Corfi" DeJesus was involved in Lopez's death. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and city and county authorities in Illinois and Indiana believed DeJesus was a mob assassin involved in numerous illegal activities, records state.

DeJesus was shot and killed execution-style May 27, 1980 -- four months after Lopez's body was found. His death is still unsolved, East Chicago Police Chief Gus Flores said.

Summers said he believes DeJesus and his cronies were responsible for executing Lopez's murder. Then DeJesus was killed because he was mouthing off about killing Lopez, Summers added. Other sources contend the murder was drug-related.
But questions remained: Why was Lopez murdered? Who ordered the hit?

Summers recently told The Times the investigation into Lopez's murder "always pointed just straight in one direction" -- toward Vince Kirrin. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_3e42b286-61f5-593b-9f9c-f334a8a600be.html

Not directly related to the above piece, Hammond’s Mayor, Thomas McDermott Jr, in recent Indiana State Board of Account Audits, has refused to answer several questions asked by Auditors.

7. Unsolved Murder: East Chicago political insider Jay Given was shot , assignation style, attending a fund raiser for up and coming politician N. Atterson Spann, inside the vestibule of the Jockey Club. 30 years later, the case remains unsolved, but evidence points to a high-ranking former East Chicago police official who it’s alleged had a long term political beef with Givens. Interesting reading http://www.nwitimes.com/news/foreign-language/politico-given-murder-remains-unsolved-nearly-years-later/article_b6ddb22f-d8d7-5e20-b6a4-9ca7bbc4f50b.html

One woman, opted to spend 10 days in jail for contempt of court rather than cooperate fully with investigators. Investigators said they thought the Jockey Club worker was holding out important information. The woman felt like a "lost ball in tall weeds, ... (and) just wanted to forget that entire night," she told police. She had learned to see and not see, she said, because "in East Chicago, two people could be standing side-by-side, one could have his head blown off and the other would not have seen a thing."

8. Dr. John Nicosia, who served as East Chicago mayor from 1963 to 1971, was convicted in the late 1970s in connection with a $1 million sewer construction kickback scheme. http://www.indianabusinessnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=61424

9. In September, 1982, Alfred T. Willardo, (Respondent) was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury for Theft, a Class D Felony. The Respondent pled not guilty, was tried by a jury and, on February 9, 1983, was found guilty of Theft, a Class D Felony. On March 3, 1983, the trial court entered judgment against the Respondent finding him guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 35-20-2-7. The Respondent was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, to probation for one year, restitution, and was further required to resign as Coroner.

The indictment and conviction stemmed from Respondent's diversion of county funds into his campaign account. The Respondent had directed his former office manager and chief deputy to falsify and file mileage claims, some signed by the Respondent himself, the funds from which were eventually funneled into Respondent's campaign account.

The Respondent took an appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. A petition for rehearing and a petition to transfer to this Court were subsequently denied. http://in.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19860605_0030577.IN.htm/qx

Note, I have looked for a appeal reversal on the conviction, but did not find one.

10. Michael Jankovich, 76, of Hobart, former Lake County assessor and longtime local Democratic power: sentenced to prison for 6 years, fined $250,000 and ordered to forfeit $11,700 in bribe receipts, after pleading guilty to charges of racketeering and extortion in soliciting bribes from businessmen in return for cutting their tax bills. Approximately 1986.

11. Frank A.J. Stodola, 66, of Hammond, a former judge and county commissioner: sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering and extortion and ordered to forfeit $10,800 in bribe money, amid charges that he sold his commissioner`s office to the highest bidder. Approximately 1986.

12. Lake County Judge Orval Anderson, was convicted of perjury (1986) for his testimony at the trial of a court administrator. The conviction was associated with Operation Bar Tab. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court

13. Former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei was convicted of extortion while serving as sheriff in 1985. He entered the witness protection plan with his wife in about 1986. Interesting article by the Chicago Tribune on Bartolomei's rise to power and fall from political graces: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-11-13/features/8802160613_1_jail-lake-county-highest-bidder

14. Roland D. Watson, former deputy assessor of Calumet Township, which includes the city of Gary Watson, 37, of Gary, pled guilty of having conspired to share in bribes paid by businessmen to win tax breaks for their properties.

15. Carol Sinks, 42, an East Chicago woman, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge James Clement. Sinks was fined $1,000 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence Tuesday after admitting her part in a ghost payroll scheme in Hammond.

Sinks and the late John Klobuchar, a former North Township trustee, were accused of theft, ghost employment and conspiracy in a scheme in which Klobuchar hired Sinks to manage the township`s Hammond office at a $20,500 salary while the woman was working full time for a construction company. It had been reported Klobuchar and Sinks were in a relationship. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-13/news/8903170714_1_sinks-scheme-ghost

Klobuchar died before the case went to trial, but Lake County Prosecutor Jon DeGuilio said the guilty plea gave ``credibility to our ghost-payrolling statute.`

16. Unsolved Murder: The bodies of a man and woman found burned in a car on Gary`s south side are believed to be those of a sheriff`s deputy and his wife, authorities said Monday. The deputy had been active in several federal investigations and was scheduled to testify in an upcoming federal racketeering trial. The victims are Cpl. Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa.

Rosser was to testify in the trial of a Merrillville councilman and suspended sheriff`s officer who is accused of involvement in a shakedown racket. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-01-16/news/9001040803_1_bodies-sheriff-s-spokesman-police

On January 22, 1990, Magistrate Andrew P. Rodovich entered an order revoking Mokol's bond and detaining him pending trial as he found "there is probable cause to believe that Mr. Mokol was involved in the deaths of the Rossers [Rosser's wife also was murdered] in violation of the terms and conditions of his release." http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/

17. Michael Mokol Sr, 48, a 19-year police veteran and former Merrillville town trustee, had been convicted of funneling $33,000 in bribes to former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei, his political mentor. The payoffs in 1984 and 1985 came from Reginald P. Kinkade, an East Chicago distributor of video poker machines.

The money, in the form of political contributions, went to Sheriff Bartolomei through Mokol, buying protection from gambling raids. At the time the machines were operating legally in scores of taverns, clubs and fraternal halls in the county. Kinkade, however, paid bribes to police to avoid investigation, according to trial testimony.

Mokol was sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James Moody, an angry federal judge who said society ``has a right to strike back`` at corrupt law officers. In sentencing Mokol for bribery, Moody said he was sending a message to the 190 sheriff`s police officers and 850 other law officers in local communities throughout the county that bribery is intolerable. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-27/news/9003030302_1_gambling-raids-police-officers-law-officers

As another side note, found in a blog, http://bluecountyredstate.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-problems-at-lake-county-sheriffs.html is a very vivid, although not verifiable description of how Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa, his wife may have met their death. My bet Mokol Jr may have been involved.

There exist no supporting documentation the following anonymous poster's post, found on Buzz Cuts blog, has any fact to it. Exceptionally gruesome.
Buzz,

Let me share with you and your readers on how horrible the crime that was committed on Gary & Teresa Rosser.

Gary was part of the investigation of “Operation Lights Out.” This was Officer Gary Rosser’s third or fourth secret operation into the corruption in Lake County. It is also the one he feared the most for his safety, and for good reasons.

Officer Gary Rosser was set to testify against, SGT. Mike Mokol Sr. (a Merrillville councilman who at one time was chief of the sheriff`s police) Unbeknownst Officer Gary Rosser, Mike Mokol Sr. had taken a contract hit out on his life for $10,000.

Officer Rosser was lured into a false real estate deal by his so called friend, George Swetkey (see immediate posting below), who was paid by Mike Mokol Sr. to do the deadly deed.

First they kidnapped Gary’s wife Teresa. They beat her, they raped her and they took pictures of what they did to her.

They then set up a meeting at the Red Rooster restaurant with Officer Rosser. They told Officer Rosser that they had beaten his wife and if he didn’t leave peacefully, they would order her killed.

When they got Officer Rosser to the location where his wife, Teresa was, Officer Rosser tried to fight them off. He was beaten; stabbed; cuffed (both arms and legs) and they tied a noose over his neck to choke him. When this didn’t kill him they shot him several times.

They then stuffed Officer Rosser and his wife into the car in which they would be found. When they set the car on fire, Officer Gary Rosser was still alive. His lungs had smoke inhalation.

Gary left behind two children, his mother Ruby, died six months later of a broken heart.

Teresa had three children, who a year later became orphans after losing their father (Teresa’s first husband) to a heart attack at age 33, which many attributed to the stress of this situation.

And to think that 21 years later, the Lake County Sheriff’s department is being investigated for the same issues that destroyed the Rosser family…When will the citizens of this county stand up and quit supporting these criminal thugs!
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/
http://ftp.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/939/939.F2d.436.90-1777.html

17a. Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife.

``Any thought I have that he might somehow walk the streets again makes me shudder,`` said Judge James Letsinger of Lake County Superior Court, Crown Point, when he imposed the near-maximum prison terms for double murder. `This sentence is intended to see that he doesn`t.``

Swetkey, for his part, stood mute. ``I haven`t anything to say,`` he muttered softly.Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-08-25/news/9003110650_1_inherently-evil-person-murders-sentence

17b. As a interesting side note, Mike Mokol Jr., was very much like his father. Mokol Jr. - the serially arrested son of late Merrillville Town Councilman and Lake County Police Chief Michael Mokol Sr. Mokol Sr., was convicted in 1990 of federal racketeering and illegal gambling charges for taking money to provide police protection for illegal gambling operations. Molok Jr, a, convicted felon -- was sentenced to 262 months in prison and five years of supervised release. May 2010. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/3f068990-2d53-5b33-8824-ff231ebd1268.html

Mokol Jr., a convicted felon with a criminal history spanning three states, is charged in the federal case with three counts of possessing specific handguns and ammunition after his criminal convictions and one count of using a specific gun during a drug trafficking crime. Prosecutors claim he orchestrated burglaries that yielded the guns. He is specifically charged with possessing a 9-mm handgun and a .45-caliber handgun.

18. Alan Frost, introduced to Hammond, believed by the McDermot Sr Administration. There had been a question on how Frost readily acquired the abandoned JC Pennies building on Hohman Avenue. Frost had the full blessing of the city to remodel an old store downtown for a computer school that was supposed to bring hundreds of jobs to Hammond. He eventually went to prison after being convicted in Florida for scamming the federal government on that venture.

19. Stewart Roth, Hammond Sanitary district Supt. admitted to illegally discharging untreated waste into the Grand Calumet River. Roth plead guilty in July of 1990. Roth faced a possible prison term of 20 years and a fine of $40,000.

Problems at the plant came to the forefront in 1988, after a growing stench at the plant was reported by north side residents and a 9-foot-deep . . .an``island`` of untreated human waste in the Grand Calumet was discovered by environmentalists; that unprocessed volume ``as enough to fill the Exxon Valdez 185 times.....the raw sewage was enough to cover Hammond`s approximately 25 square miles 30 inches deep.

The investigation found that Roth had reported that 30 billion gallons of sewage had been processed by the plant from Jan. 1, 1986, through May 31, 1988, when only 12 billion gallons were treated. Why he did this was never disclosed. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-14/news/9002270497_1_raw-sewage-sanitary-board-treatment-plant
Roth apparently didn't learn from his first go around.

In 2012 Roth plead guilty in Federal Court for illegal dumping. Unfortunately Roth and others operated, undiscovered for years and years, dumping untreated waste in Hammond sewage system at a company owned site at 141st St. Hammond authorities were apparently unaware this site was dumping illegal waste for years and years. It appears the Hammond Officials never inspected the site. So much for Hammond’s inspectional services. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/12254534-418/manager-at-ec-business-admits-illegal-dumping.html

20. Peter Benjamin, former Lake County auditor and assessor, paying bribes to Lake County Councilman Troy Montgomery.

21. Troy Montgomery, former Lake County councilman, accepting Benjamin's bribes.

22. & 23. Lake County Judge Steven Bielak, 34, pleaded guilty in Hammond before U.S. District Judge James Moody. Bielak, A traffic court judge in Lake County, Ind., and Robert Balitewicz, 49, a court clerk pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges arising from a federal investigation of the disposition of drunk driving cases in northwest Indiana. 1991

The two had been charged by a federal grand jury in a 28-count indictment in June 1986, for failing to notify the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles of drunk-driving convictions as required by state law. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court http://www.justice.gov/osg/briefs/1989/sg890014.txt

24. Former Hammond City Controller Edward Brown, has pleaded guilty to income-tax charges and had cooperated with federal authorities. Brown, 42, was charged in April (1991) by the U.S. attorney's office for failure to report all his income for calendar year 1985.

June 1991, a full six years after his income tax evasion, Former city Controller Edward A. Brown implicated himself and others Thursday in a bribery scheme to protect video-poker gambling in Hammond. Brown, 42, of Hammond was pleading guilty before U.S. District Court Judge James Moody to a felony tax-fraud charge that he failed to disclose protection money he received from Reginald Kinkade.

He said Kinkade, owner of Variety Amusement Co. of East Chicago, gave him up to $4,000 each month from the fall of 1984 to the end of 1985 to keep police from seizing about 50 poker machines …

25. Glenn Kuipers, a former executive director of East Chicago's Tri-City Mental Health Center, and Noah Atterson Spann, a former county commissioner from the city, were indicted in the late 1980s for bribery and bilking taxpayers in connection with publicly buying an East Chicago nursing home at an exorbitant price.

Kuipers and his wife entered the federal witness protection program after he pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Spann, who went to prison in 1988. He finished his sentence 11 years later, was hired by former Mayor Robert Pastrick to run his 1999 re-election campaign and later was named director of community services.

26. Vince Kirrin, an East known as a back-room politician who wielded immense influence over East Chicago and Lake County politics. Kirrin was indicted during a federal investigation into corruption in Lake County and served time in prison for conspiracy and mail fraud convictions. Kirrin died in 1998. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-07-20/news/9103210240_1_bribes-cleaning-tax-fraud

Kirrin said he used elbow grease to vigorously clean the Lake County (Ind.) government center, transforming the courthouse, jail and office building ``from a pigsty into a showpiece.`` 1985-86 contract, which went to a firm nominally headed by his nephew, Joe Macko.

Macko testified that his uncle surprised him with a gift of $2,000 only days before he was called to testify under subpoena about the cleaning contract before a federal grand jury. Capp said the money was a bribe. Macko admitted he had no experience cleaning public buildings, unless``GI parties in the military`` was a qualifier. He said he performed no executive duties, and had no office.

The government contended that, in order to get the contract, Kirrin paid $30,000 in bribes to Lake County Commissioner Steve Corey. Corey denied the charge, saying any money from Kirrin was nothing more than a loan to the his family`s bakery business, and the loan had been repaid.

Former County Commissioner N. Atterson Spann testified against Kirrin, saying he and Corey were aware of Kirrin`s behind-the-scenes role. Spann is serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for taking bribes to influence county business. He said he hoped his testimony would earn him a sentence reduction.

But a federal court jury in Hammond convicted the East Chicago businessman of paying bribes to win a $246,000-a-year, no-bid contract to clean the center. Kirrin wished to avoid the public spotlight, said Capp, because he already was receiving up to $660,000 a year in county printing business.

27. & 28. Former Lake County Recorder Robert Freeland and his chief deputy, Valerie Levy, were charged Wednesday in connection with a money-laundering scheme that reportedly originated in the Lake County recorder's office. Article found in Northwest Indiana Times archives, when the Times was a real newspaper. Article dated May 20, 1999 12:00 am by ROBIN BIESEN. http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/ex-county-officials-charged/article_0503d665-684c-59fa-8ec5-7454e3cf6b72.html

According to DeGuilio, a consortium of title companies led by Ticor Title Insurance Co. collectively paid Microfilm Services and later Data Film $6,000 a month. Both firms were created by Freeland and Levy. Between 1989, when Freeland took office, to June 1995, the two crafted a scheme in which they allegedly diverted nearly 500,000 that would have been paid to the county in copying fees from land title companies into a pair of companies they created.

Data Film was created after the reported owner of Microfilm ervices, Ernest T. Williams, died. Court records show Data Film was owned by Veronica Adams, Levy's niece and a former employee of the recorder's office. In exchange for the fee, the title companies were supposed to receive microfilm copies of land documents. Microfilm copies of the documents were produced, but not by Freeland's companies. Federal documents indicate county employees did the work for which Freeland and Levy were paid.

Court documents show Levy took the title company checks that were sent to a post office box and cashed them at NBD Bank, taking a majority of the proceeds in cash.

U.S. Attorney Jon DeGuilio said Freeland, 59, and Levy, 48, a member of the Calumet Township Board, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit money-laundering. Each could receive sentences of up to five years in jail or fines of $500,000.

29. Noah Atterson Spann, 48, of East Chicago, the highest elected black county executive and a fellow county commissioner with Bartolomei: sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, fined $25,000 and ordered to forfeit $29,615 in payoff money.

28. Rudy Byron, 51, of Gary, a Spann protégé and former Lake County inspector: sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined $15,000 for accepting payoffs to help two janitorial firms get lucrative county contracts and for concealing payments of $50,000 from his income-tax returns.

30. East Chicago City Councilman Frank Kollintzas, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds, lying to the FBI. Frankie chose to flee to Greece. As a Greek national Frankie is exempt from extradition by Greece law. 11 years.

31. East Chicago City Councilman Joe De La Cruz, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. 6 years.

32. East Chicago City Controller Edwardo Maldonado, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. Convicted a second time in July 2006 for using public money to pay his defense attorneys. 130 months.

33. East Chicago City Councilman Adrian Santos, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy in connection with the $24 million sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

34. Joel Markovich, former Lake County councilman and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 18 months.

35. Robert J. Velligan, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

36. Marilyn and Gregory J. Gill, contractors, tax and bankruptcy fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

37. Dimitrios Sazalis, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

38. East Chicago Parks Superintendent Jose Valdez Jr., fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

39. East Chicago City Engineer Pedro Porras, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

40. East Chicago City Councilman Randall Artis, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

41. Terrance Artis, brother of Randall Artis and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 5 months.

42. Gerry Nannenga, former carpenter's union official, accepting bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

43. Kevin Pastrick, son of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

On May 2, 2005. Pastrick began serving his federal prison term for paying Gerry Nannenga, a former executive secretary and business manager for the Northwest Indiana District Council of Carpenters, bribes to influence the investment of $10 million of carpenters' pension money in Coffee Creek, a Porter County land deal that earned Pastrick $600,000 in commissions.

Nannenga pleaded guilty to accepting bribes last year and awaits sentencing April 8. Peter Manous, a former chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party and friend of Pastrick, is serving a 27-month sentence for his role as a go-between in the bribery and its cover-up.

A federal jury convicted Kevin Pastrick's business partner, 58-year-old Carl Paul Ihle Jr., of Lakes of the Four Seasons, of attempting to cover up the bribery investigation with lies and fraudulent documents. A judge sentenced him to 21 months in prison.

Pastrick also must pay a $177,500 fine in the federal case. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/pastrick-prostitution-charge-dropped/article_03ac73bf-2e76-5972-a1a9-acab8ba9e36f.html

44. Peter Manous, former Indiana Democratic chairman, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

45. Carl Paul Ihle Jr., co-owner with Kevin Pastrick of Sand Creek Sales, forging documents and lying about the Coffee Creek land deal.

46. & 47. Katie Hall and Junifer Hall, In May 2002, Katie Hall, again serving as Gary City Clerk, and her daughter, Chief Deputy Clerk Junifer Hall, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, extortion, and mail fraud.

Junifer Hall was also charged with five counts of perjury. Hall eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to house arrest and probation. Junifer Hall was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Gary city clerk, was convicted of extorting $19,000 in campaign contributions from office employees. Hall was Indiana's first African-American member of Congress. Someone in her office reached out to federal authorities asking for relief.

48. Jojuana Meeks, embezzling money from Gary Urban Enterprise Association. This embezzlement involved millions, upon millions of dollars, diverted from its original use to revitalize Gary for personal use. A common theme in NWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Urban_Enterprise_Association

49. Wanda Joshua, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township.

50. Charmaine Pratchett, embezzling money from GUEA.

51. Derrick Earls, embezzling from GUEA board.

52. Johnnie Wright, embezzling from GUEA board.

53. Greg Hill, contractor who didn't report GUEA income.

54. Will Smith Jr., Lake County Council president, tax evasion for a questionable land deal with GUEA.

55. Roosevelt Powell, former delinquent tax collector for Lake County, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

56. Former East Chicago Police Chief Edward Samuels, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

57. East Chicago Building Commission Miguel "Mike" Arredondo, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

58. Gary City Parks Superintendent Kimberly Lyles, lying to federal agents about influence peddling.

59. Assistant County Building Administrator Jan Allison, extortion.

60. G. Gregory Cvitkovich, former North Township trustee, tax fraud.

61. James H. Fife III, a former special assistant to the East Chicago mayor, federal tax fraud.

62. Karen Krahn-Fife, federal tax fraud.

63. Robert White, Gary city councilman, fraud.

64. Lake County Recorder Morris Carter, extortion.

65. Paul Hernandez, union fraud and corruption.

66. Ken Castaldi, union fraud and corruption.

67. Otho Lyles III, tax evasion and lying to FBI in Gary City Hall investigation.

68. Jewell Harris Sr Convicted of double-billing Gary for debris-hauling work at The Steel Yard stadium. Harris was once one of the most powerful political figures in Gary. Harris, former Mayor Scott King’s campaign manager until the two had a bitter split, had been charged with seven counts of money laundering and mail and wire fraud stemming from work Harris did hauling debris from the stadium site in 2001. Convicted that he bilked the city out of $1.5 million while working on the $45 million baseball stadium.

69. Willie Harris, Gary attorney, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

70. Bob Cantrell , a long time East Chicago political operative. Cantrell was reportedly behind McDermott Sr first run for Hammond Mayor, was convicted of tax evasion and insurance fraud. Cantrell used his influence with area elected officials, judges., etc to obtain contracts for a counseling company owned and operated by Nancy Fromm. Cantrell's income was reported in federal transcripts to be over $200,000 a year. Who says crime doesn't pay?

71. Nancy Fromm, addiction counselor, lying to federal agents. Fromm reportedly derived substantial income for referrals tor her company, due to Bobby Cantrell's political connections.

72. Former Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga, fraud in using office to personally benefit her family business.

73. Ann Marie Karras , age 65 of Gary, guilty in April 2009 of two fraud counts for taking checks from a federal contract between 2000 and 2002. (Seven Years Later ) Karras was serving as Calumet Township as the Deputy of Finance.

Co-conspirators Calumet Township Trustee, Dozier T. Allen, Jr., and three of his senior employees at the trustee’s office, Wanda Joshua, and Albert Young, Jr. were charged and found guilty of mail fraud. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

74. Dozier Allen, Calumet Township Trustee, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township, found guilty.

75. Albert Young Jr., who signed a plea agreement and admitted guilt, to two years on probation, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

76. Morris Carter, County Recorder took a $1,000 bribe. http://articles.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010-08-25/news/28516846_1_schererville-town-judge-east-chicago-city-council-robert-pastrick

77. Jerry Haymon has plead guilty, per court records, a year after their indictment on on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The defendants (Drago-Hunter, Jerry Haymon, Sheila Chandler and Phillip Rucker) were indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft accused of funneling the more than $300,000 to themselves between October 2007 and November 2008 by inflating the purchase prices of four Gary properties, faking buyers' financial security, forging loan documents and filing fake mechanic's liens against three of the four properties for work that never was done, federal records state.http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

78. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter, Gary HUD Official, October 6, 2011 was suspended for her October 2010 federal indictment for her suspected involvement in an alleged real estate fraud scheme. Drago-Hunter is responsible for administering millions of dollars of federal money to dozens of social service agencies. The former director of community development for the city of Gary admitted Friday morning (01/13/2011) in federal court to working with a local businessman in a mortgage fraud scheme that took in almost $200,000. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter plead guilty to one count of wire fraud.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/9993779-418/former-gary-official-pleads-guilty-to-mortgage-scheme.html

HUD spokesman Jerry Brown said. “Gary has to help itself by cleaning up its act. It’s going to take that type of commitment in building its track record if the city is going to continue getting federal funds.”
April 19th, 2012 sentenced to spend 15 months in prison in addition to paying restitution of almost $88,000, a federal judge ruled Thursday afternoon.

79. Sheila Chandler has plead guilty, per court records, a year after her indictment on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

80. Frederick M. Cuppy, 70, Merrillville’s former town attorney and Peter G. Rogan, 65, formerly of Valparaiso, were charged October 3rd, 2011 in Chicago in connection with their roles in hiding money from federal investigators and a bank, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago. Cuppy was charged with one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, three counts of perjury and three counts of obstruction of justice. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/8018706-418/former-merrillville-attorney-indicted-by-feds.html
Cuppy is accused of hiding funds so that Rogan could avoid paying $188 million in judgment awarded against him in 2006.

81. Marilyn Krusas, 69, a Gary City Councilwoman since 2000, was charged with one count of tax evasion. Federal authorities allege Krusas failed to file tax returns since 1991. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

In addition to failing to file returns, officials allege she failed to pay taxes on an inheritance she received in the 2009-2010 tax year. The inheritance was $230,000.Krusas was scheduled for her initial appearance at 12:45 today. Krusas plead guilty March 2013.

82. George Pabey, E. Chicago Mayor, convicted on stealing less than $15,000

83. Jose Camacho, East Chicago city employee conviction along with Pabey.

84. & 85. The former treasurer for East Chicago's public schools will plead guilty to receiving a bribe — a federal offense that could carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Francisco "Frank" Ramirez, 49, of East Chicago, exchanged a school contract with a local construction company for thousands of dollars in free home repairs, according to a plea agreement filed Monday. Ramirez and Geraldo "Jerry" Lozano, 34, of Hobart, were indicted Thursday. The indictment was unsealed Friday. Lozano, who owned Green Tree Builders, is charged with paying a bribe to an agent or local government receiving federal funds, while Ramirez was charged with receiving that bribe. In 2008, East Chicago's schools received more than $10,000 in federal funding. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-school-treasurer-to-plead-guilty-to-accepting/article_a7eff7f7-583a-5f59-a47a-9fa2a4d9a8f8.html#ixzz1p2QVuXvM

Ramirez plead guilty. To receive the most benefit from his plea agreement, Ramirez must provide information that leads to a separate criminal prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Bell said during the hearing. Lozano was convicted and received 21 months in a federal prison.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/17391282-418/lozano-gets-21-months-for-bribery.html

86. Thomas Philpot, has held several county offices for 21 years, and currently the Lake County Coroner, was convicted on 08/24/12 after a 5 day trial. Philpot received a 18 month sentence. Some believe Philpot may have shared information with authorities in exchange for such a short sentence. Philpot was convicted of pocketed more than $24,000 from Indiana's federally funded child support incentive funds. He controlled the funds between 2004 and 2009 while serving as Lake County clerk. The fund were intended, as bonuses for line staff. Philpot and his two administrative assistants apparently pocketed the vast majority of these funds over the years Philpot held the County Clerk's Office. Philpot's education as a licensed attorney and medical doctor/podiatrist, appeared to work against him at trial.

The law forbids elected officials from giving themselves such bonuses without the approval of the seven-member fiscal body called the County Council.

The conviction strips Philpot from office as county coroner and all but ends his public career, which includes election as county coroner in 1992, 1996 and 2008; election as county clerk in 2002 and 2006; and his unsuccessful campaigns for Hammond mayor in 1995 and 1999, and for sheriff in 2010.

Philpot turned himself in to serve his reduced sentence of 18 months on Tuesday, March 19th, 2013. Was someone talking and someone else listening? http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/philpot-guilty-on-all-five-counts/article_2ab1a901-230b-5114-8ebe-91b84326c1f3.html

87. Virlissa Crenshaw, 42, of East Chicago, is charged with theft (September 2011) from local government, with another count of filing a false tax return for 2009. Sentence to be determined. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

Crenshaw was a clerk with the Merrillville Town Court at the time of the offenses. She has already signed a plea agreement filed today (October 2012) admitting her guilt to stealing cash bonds. The loss to the Town of Merrillville was $176,763 and the tax loss to the federal government was $55,203.

88. The FBI raided George Van Till's Office in 2012 confiscating computer records. Mr. VanTil is the Lake County Surveyor. A Grand Jury has been chaired investigating some matter in his office. The specific focus of the grand jury is unknown.

The raid resulted in a criminal indictment (May 17th, 2013), two counts of obstruction of justice and six federal felony counts of wire fraud. A "tip" lead the authorities to the investigation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-van-til-indicted-for-using-public-employees-resources-for/article_00f8f717-4dd4-5856-8869-eebc1c121d80.html

Van Till plead guilty, an agreement mad public on December 12th, 2013 noted, The government alleged VanTill ordered an employee, who had worked for the surveyor's office for about a month in November 2011, to do his campaign work and little else.

The plea agreement contains a statement by Van Til that he "was fully aware of the rules and regulations contained in the Lake County Employee Handbook and various Lake County ordinances regarding the prohibition of using Lake County office equipment for political purposes.

"I did knowingly and intentionally request and direct some employees of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office to engage in political campaign work while they were being paid with Lake County governmental funds. Furthermore, I knew that while doing this campaign work at the Lake County Surveyor’s Office, these employees were using Lake County property and equipment to engage in political activity.

"Furthermore, I knew that false payroll information for these employees was being submitted for full payment of their entire salaries, even though some of their time at the Surveyor’s office was used to engage in political activity, rather than the legitimate work of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office.

"I further agree that since some of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office’s employees who were engaging in political activity while being paid with Lake County government funds had their payroll checks electronically deposited, payment of these salaries would involve some type of an electronic wire transmission. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/lake-county-surveyor-van-til-admits-guilt-in-plea-agreement/article_55ecd377-7f49-57d7-8e56-b8372f9d11c4.html

Video of the indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_SxbMDD2RQ

89 a & 89 b. Alfonso Salinas Hammond 2nd District councilman in Hammond, was charged with receipt of a bribe by an agent of local government who was receiving federal funds.

Federal authorities allege that Salinas steered city tree cutting business to David Johnson, 56, of Munster, owner of Dave’s Tree Service. (Note David Johnson was a benefactor of the East Chicago Sidewalks for vote scandal, his company reportedly did hundreds of thousands of dollars of work in E. Chicago. Some say either McDermott or Cantrell or both brought Johnson into Hammond to continue the patronage tree. Johnson plead guilty and as of this writing his sentencing has been delayed several times. There is speculation he is cooperating with federal authorities).

Salinas is alleged to have steered $300,000 in casino funds that he had at his disposal to Johnson's company for tree cutting and tree removal work. Federal authorities further allege Salinas took a $10,500 kickback for steering the work Johnson’s way. Johnson was charged with payment of a bribe to an agent of local government. (Johnson later plead guilty). Salinas is also charged with four counts of willful failure to file tax returns from 2006 to 2009. Salinas agreed to a plea agreement on two counts April 2013.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

Salinas plead guilty in mid May 2013, sentenced to 42 months. Salinas surrender to Federal Authorities in October.

90. Juda Parks, 40, of East Chicago, is charged with two counts of failure to file income tax returns for years 2008 and 2009. Parks, and East Chicago City Councilman since 2008 and an East Chicago police officer, has signed a plea agreement admitting guilt on all charges.

Parks has agreed to cooperate with the federal government on other unspecified cases, according to federal authorities. (interesting statement) http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

91. Manuel Montalvo, 38, of East Chicago, is charged in an indictment with two counts of filing false tax returns for years 2009 and 2010. In an update, not referred to in the following link. Mr. Motalvo plead guilty and received four months probation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

The indictment alleges that Montalvo, the former director of the East Chicago Public Library, overstated unreimbursed business expenses and medical and dental expenses. Those expenses amounted to $32,000 in medical and dental expenses and $47,000 in employee and business expenses over the two years.

reached a deal with federal prosecutors Friday (August 2nd, 2013), pleading guilty to one of two counts of filing a false federal tax return. Montalvo faces up to three years in prison and a maximum $100,000 fine, according to the plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Hammond.

Montalvo pleaded guilty to providing false information on his 2009 federal tax return by claiming $23,282 in unreimbursed business expenses. Specifically, Montalvo claimed business expenses for use of his vehicle, travel, meals, entertainment and other expenses in his position as library director. However, the East Chicago Public Library Board already had reimbursed him for all employee-related expenses. He received 24 months probation.

In addition, Montalvo admits to falsely claiming $17,063 in unreimbursed medical expenses, according to court documents. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/montalvo-pleads-guilty-to-one-count-of-tax-fraud/article_6bbc3132-05d1-55fd-b29d-ab871918ce3d.html

Montalvo, Lake County style has pending federal litigation against East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, claiming he was illegally fired as library director because of his political support for now imprisoned, former Mayor George Pabey. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-library-director-sentenced-to-months-probation/article_3176ecaf-a201-5182-85ae-da93c011bc73.html

92. Although not specifically a county employee, Roman Perez of Crown Point and owner of Roman Art, Inc. has plead guilty to tax evasion and making false statements under oath during a bankruptcy proceeding. Perez understated $100,100 of 2007 income, of which the feds report $80,000 of 2007 income came from the Lake County Commissary Fund. Exactly what "Roman Art, Inc." did or does will be posted at a later time.

Perez as part of his plea agreement, agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.

Video of Indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qphJKtY041c

93. Hammond-based U.S. Attorney David Capp announced Monday that Gary City Councilman Ronier Scott, 42, is charged in Hammond federal court with two counts of willfully failing to file income tax returns for 2008 and 2009. Scott signed a plea agreement filed in conjunction with the charges, both misdemeanors, court records show.

Scott admits in the plea agreement he chose not to file federal returns for income he earned in 2008 and 2009 through his position on the Gary City Council and while working at a business owned by a family member. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/gary-councilman-ronier-scott-charged-with-failing-to-file-tax/article_2f46723d-2b4f-5ccc-8ec7-2b643715a438.html

94. An unnamed current sitting, elected county official who testified at the Philpot trial, reportedly has a sealed 2012 Grand Jury indictment.

95. A grand jury indicted a former Merrillville town councilman, Terrell Taylor, on a charge of forgery.

Terrell Taylor, 49, was indicted Thursday on one Class C felony count. The criminal charge stemmed from an investigation into his business, Taylor Development Corp., and was not related to anything he did on the Town Council, said Indiana State Police spokeswoman Ann Wojas.

Taylor served as a Town Council member between 2004 and 2008. He made history in 2003 by becoming one of Merrillville's first two African-American Town Council members.

He also helped establish the Merrillville Education Foundation in 1992, became its first president and has served as chairman of the town's Environmental Affairs Committee. He is president and CEO of the Merrillville-based contracting company Taylor Development Corp.

Town officials suspected Taylor had forged business documents in May 2013 and asked the state police to investigate, Wojas said. Merrillville police did not handle the investigation to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, she said.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/former-merrillville-town-councilman-indicted-on-forgery-charge/article_cd82f2a2-69d0-58ed-97d1-26d5d2cb0f15.html

96. And has a current grand jury been empaneled to review if sufficient evidence exist to charge a past county elected official?

97. Well is trouble brewing in the Calumet Township Office of Mary Elgin. You bet ya. http://nwigazette.com/2014/03/28/audits-key-to-understanding-fbi-raids-on-elgin-offices/

98, 99 & 100. A trifecta and a family affair~! A close political allied of Hammond's Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr was indicted April 16th 2014, charged with public corruption in an 11 Count Indictment filed by the US Attorney's Office.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office, a conspiracy between Keith Soderquist and his wife, Deborah Soderquist were charged with committing wire fraud in connection with financial transactions involving the Mayor’s campaign finance account and the Lake Station Food Pantry account. These accounts were allegedly used by the Soderquists to obtain cash for personal expenses, including gambling activities at casinos in Indiana and Michigan.


The second indictment names Keith Soderquist, 44, Deborah Soderquist, 55, and Miranda Brakley, Soderquist's step daughter, 33, a former employee of Lake Station. Brakley is charged with theft of funds from Lake Station from Aug. 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012. Brakley is also charged with bankruptcy fraud for failing to disclose certain payments received from Lake Station on her bankruptcy schedules, the press release said.

Keith and Deborah Soderquist are charged in the second indictment for being accessories after the fact. The last count alleges that Keith and Deborah Soderquist structured a series of financial transactions in order to avoid the reporting requirements under federal law, the press release said. The indictment alleges that in December 2012, the Soderquists obtained $15,000 from an individual. They instructed that individual to write three checks in amounts less than $10,000 (the reporting requirement under federal law) and to back date two of those checks. From Dec. 8-12, 2012, those checks were cashed at different branches of JP Morgan Chase bank, the press release said.
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/26889254-418/lake-station-mayor-wife-indicted.html

Soderquist's daughter's name has surfaced in other areas, from misplacing a bag of cash, to some questions, if I remember correctly, with regard to use of sick leave.

Who do you think may be next?




Individuals and/or corporations named in the above links are presumed innocent unless a court of law finds otherwise.

_________________
XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


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 Post subject: Re: 94 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 6:36 pm 
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A partial list of Lake County Politicians, influential power brokers, some who have been convicted, others under indictment. I will add to this list from time to time as info becomes available. :(

Sources include publications such as the Hammond Times, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Suntimes, Gary Tribune Post and other media sources.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/article_decbcc06-e795-5b8c-a43b-0036497fa9cd.html


CONVICTED unless otherwise indicated

1. R. O. Johnson, Mayor of Gary Johnson was convicted by the feds in 1923 of conspiracy to violate the Volstead Act. He began serving his sentence in 1925. President Calvin Coolidge, having sympathy for his plight, granted him a pardon after his release. He ran 2 more times, successfully, for mayor. Evidently the citizenry, not surprisingly, did not hold his conviction against him? http://gdynets.webng.com/Good_Gov.htm

2. Stephen R. Goot, a Hammond Attorney received a 20-year sentence, one of the stiffest given to the 16 people convicted in the Operation Bar Tab investigation of corruption in Lake County courts. Goot served as the Hammond water board lawyer until the federal investigation that led to his conviction on ticket fixing. (1991). http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/article_c9e38ff7-e7e9-5f94-a9de-dd4002bcd2b3.html

3. Nick Morfas. Goot as we have read above was convicted at federal trial. The principal official with whom Goot interacted and conspired was deputy prosecutor Nick Morfas. Goot pleaded not guilty and went to trial; Morfas pleaded guilty and testified against Goot.

Morfas would steal and destroy the prosecutor's file. Sometimes Morfas would steal and destroy the court's file as well. Once the time for refiling had passed without any further action taken by the prosecutor, Goot would file a second motion to dismiss, which would be granted. A check then would be issued by the prosecutor's office to Goot, the holder of the bond receipt, but payable to the person who initially posted the bond. Goot would give this check to Morfas who would forge the payee's signature and retain the funds as his share in the scheme.

In some cases, Morfas would represent himself to DUI defendants as an attorney, sign Goot's name to the paper work or have Goot sign his name, and then steal the files and collect the fees. Morfas needed to use Goot's name because he could not use his own, being a deputy prosecutor. As a quid pro quo, Morfas either would help Goot with one of Goot's cases or would pay Goot a share of the fees. http://federal-circuits.vlex.com/vid/america-plaintiff-stephen-goot-defendant-37294529

The jury found Goot guilty on both counts and he was sentenced to two concurrent twenty-year prison terms (the statutory maximum on each count) and a $25,000.00 fine. Morfas, who was sentenced later, got four years and a $6000.00 fine.

4. Metro Holovachke, former prosecuting attorney of Lake County, Indiana, all on tax charges. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

5. George Chacharis, Mayor of Gary, Indiana, who in approximately 1963, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to report and pay taxes on more than $250, 000 in payoffs from construction firms. http://www.justice.gov/ag/rfkspeeches/1963/01-10-1963.pdf

6. Unsolved Murder: Hammond detectives have no doubts about who fired the fatal bullet into the back of Henry "Babe" Lopez's neck in 1979. They said they know without question who dropped a basketball-sized rock onto the gas pedal of the former East Chicago parks superintendent's city-owned vehicle, propelling his dead body into the Grand Calumet River.

Yet, 30 years later, Lopez's family still lives without closure. "They believed Babe Lopez was cooperating with the federal government investigation into corruption in East Chicago," Solan told The Times. "Babe Lopez was not cooperating, and that belief cost Babe his life."

Dec. 12, 1979, the last day Lopez was seen alive Former City Clerk Charles Pacurar, now East Chicago's city controller, told Hammond police in 1980 that Lopez's death may have been related to $900,000 in Park and Recreation Bond funds.
In 1974, before Lopez was parks superintendent, the City Council moved $900,000 to park development line item 713 in the budget, records state. Pacurar told police that line item did not exist.

The State Board of Accounts repeatedly questioned how the park bond money had been spent, state audits from 1977 to 1983 show. The board's field examiners asked then-City Controller James Knight to determine whether the funds had been used for the purpose for which the bonds were issued. As of Aug. 19, 1982, Knight had not replied, records state.

Numerous sources told police they believed Edelmiro "Corfi" DeJesus was involved in Lopez's death. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, and city and county authorities in Illinois and Indiana believed DeJesus was a mob assassin involved in numerous illegal activities, records state.

DeJesus was shot and killed execution-style May 27, 1980 -- four months after Lopez's body was found. His death is still unsolved, East Chicago Police Chief Gus Flores said.

Summers said he believes DeJesus and his cronies were responsible for executing Lopez's murder. Then DeJesus was killed because he was mouthing off about killing Lopez, Summers added. Other sources contend the murder was drug-related.
But questions remained: Why was Lopez murdered? Who ordered the hit?

Summers recently told The Times the investigation into Lopez's murder "always pointed just straight in one direction" -- toward Vince Kirrin. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/article_3e42b286-61f5-593b-9f9c-f334a8a600be.html

Not directly related to the above piece, Hammond’s Mayor, Thomas McDermott Jr, in recent Indiana State Board of Account Audits, has refused to answer several questions asked by Auditors.

7. Unsolved Murder: East Chicago political insider Jay Given was shot , assignation style, attending a fund raiser for up and coming politician N. Atterson Spann, inside the vestibule of the Jockey Club. 30 years later, the case remains unsolved, but evidence points to a high-ranking former East Chicago police official who it’s alleged had a long term political beef with Givens. Interesting reading http://www.nwitimes.com/news/foreign-language/politico-given-murder-remains-unsolved-nearly-years-later/article_b6ddb22f-d8d7-5e20-b6a4-9ca7bbc4f50b.html

One woman, opted to spend 10 days in jail for contempt of court rather than cooperate fully with investigators. Investigators said they thought the Jockey Club worker was holding out important information. The woman felt like a "lost ball in tall weeds, ... (and) just wanted to forget that entire night," she told police. She had learned to see and not see, she said, because "in East Chicago, two people could be standing side-by-side, one could have his head blown off and the other would not have seen a thing."

8. Dr. John Nicosia, who served as East Chicago mayor from 1963 to 1971, was convicted in the late 1970s in connection with a $1 million sewer construction kickback scheme. http://www.indianabusinessnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=76&ArticleID=61424

9. In September, 1982, Alfred T. Willardo, (Respondent) was indicted by the Lake County Grand Jury for Theft, a Class D Felony. The Respondent pled not guilty, was tried by a jury and, on February 9, 1983, was found guilty of Theft, a Class D Felony. On March 3, 1983, the trial court entered judgment against the Respondent finding him guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor pursuant to the provisions of I.C. 35-20-2-7. The Respondent was sentenced to one year, which was suspended, to probation for one year, restitution, and was further required to resign as Coroner.

The indictment and conviction stemmed from Respondent's diversion of county funds into his campaign account. The Respondent had directed his former office manager and chief deputy to falsify and file mileage claims, some signed by the Respondent himself, the funds from which were eventually funneled into Respondent's campaign account.

The Respondent took an appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals which affirmed the judgment of the trial court. A petition for rehearing and a petition to transfer to this Court were subsequently denied. http://in.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19860605_0030577.IN.htm/qx

Note, I have looked for a appeal reversal on the conviction, but did not find one.

10. Michael Jankovich, 76, of Hobart, former Lake County assessor and longtime local Democratic power: sentenced to prison for 6 years, fined $250,000 and ordered to forfeit $11,700 in bribe receipts, after pleading guilty to charges of racketeering and extortion in soliciting bribes from businessmen in return for cutting their tax bills. Approximately 1986.

11. Frank A.J. Stodola, 66, of Hammond, a former judge and county commissioner: sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for racketeering and extortion and ordered to forfeit $10,800 in bribe money, amid charges that he sold his commissioner`s office to the highest bidder. Approximately 1986.

12. Lake County Judge Orval Anderson, was convicted of perjury (1986) for his testimony at the trial of a court administrator. The conviction was associated with Operation Bar Tab. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court

13. Former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei was convicted of extortion while serving as sheriff in 1985. He entered the witness protection plan with his wife in about 1986. Interesting article by the Chicago Tribune on Bartolomei's rise to power and fall from political graces: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-11-13/features/8802160613_1_jail-lake-county-highest-bidder

14. Roland D. Watson, former deputy assessor of Calumet Township, which includes the city of Gary Watson, 37, of Gary, pled guilty of having conspired to share in bribes paid by businessmen to win tax breaks for their properties.

15. Carol Sinks, 42, an East Chicago woman, pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge James Clement. Sinks was fined $1,000 and given a one-year suspended jail sentence Tuesday after admitting her part in a ghost payroll scheme in Hammond.

Sinks and the late John Klobuchar, a former North Township trustee, were accused of theft, ghost employment and conspiracy in a scheme in which Klobuchar hired Sinks to manage the township`s Hammond office at a $20,500 salary while the woman was working full time for a construction company. It had been reported Klobuchar and Sinks were in a relationship. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-12-13/news/8903170714_1_sinks-scheme-ghost

Klobuchar died before the case went to trial, but Lake County Prosecutor Jon DeGuilio said the guilty plea gave ``credibility to our ghost-payrolling statute.`

16. Unsolved Murder: The bodies of a man and woman found burned in a car on Gary`s south side are believed to be those of a sheriff`s deputy and his wife, authorities said Monday. The deputy had been active in several federal investigations and was scheduled to testify in an upcoming federal racketeering trial. The victims are Cpl. Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa.

Rosser was to testify in the trial of a Merrillville councilman and suspended sheriff`s officer who is accused of involvement in a shakedown racket. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-01-16/news/9001040803_1_bodies-sheriff-s-spokesman-police

On January 22, 1990, Magistrate Andrew P. Rodovich entered an order revoking Mokol's bond and detaining him pending trial as he found "there is probable cause to believe that Mr. Mokol was involved in the deaths of the Rossers [Rosser's wife also was murdered] in violation of the terms and conditions of his release." http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/

17. Michael Mokol Sr, 48, a 19-year police veteran and former Merrillville town trustee, had been convicted of funneling $33,000 in bribes to former Lake County Sheriff Rudy Bartolomei, his political mentor. The payoffs in 1984 and 1985 came from Reginald P. Kinkade, an East Chicago distributor of video poker machines.

The money, in the form of political contributions, went to Sheriff Bartolomei through Mokol, buying protection from gambling raids. At the time the machines were operating legally in scores of taverns, clubs and fraternal halls in the county. Kinkade, however, paid bribes to police to avoid investigation, according to trial testimony.

Mokol was sentenced to 20 years in prison by U.S. District Judge James Moody, an angry federal judge who said society ``has a right to strike back`` at corrupt law officers. In sentencing Mokol for bribery, Moody said he was sending a message to the 190 sheriff`s police officers and 850 other law officers in local communities throughout the county that bribery is intolerable. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-27/news/9003030302_1_gambling-raids-police-officers-law-officers

As another side note, found in a blog, http://bluecountyredstate.blogspot.com/2011/05/more-problems-at-lake-county-sheriffs.html is a very vivid, although not verifiable description of how Gary Rosser, 42, a 15-year veteran of the Lake County Sheriff`s Department, and his wife, Teresa, his wife may have met their death. My bet Mokol Jr may have been involved.

There exist no supporting documentation the following anonymous poster's post, found on Buzz Cuts blog, has any fact to it. Exceptionally gruesome.
Buzz,

Let me share with you and your readers on how horrible the crime that was committed on Gary & Teresa Rosser.

Gary was part of the investigation of “Operation Lights Out.” This was Officer Gary Rosser’s third or fourth secret operation into the corruption in Lake County. It is also the one he feared the most for his safety, and for good reasons.

Officer Gary Rosser was set to testify against, SGT. Mike Mokol Sr. (a Merrillville councilman who at one time was chief of the sheriff`s police) Unbeknownst Officer Gary Rosser, Mike Mokol Sr. had taken a contract hit out on his life for $10,000.

Officer Rosser was lured into a false real estate deal by his so called friend, George Swetkey (see immediate posting below), who was paid by Mike Mokol Sr. to do the deadly deed.

First they kidnapped Gary’s wife Teresa. They beat her, they raped her and they took pictures of what they did to her.

They then set up a meeting at the Red Rooster restaurant with Officer Rosser. They told Officer Rosser that they had beaten his wife and if he didn’t leave peacefully, they would order her killed.

When they got Officer Rosser to the location where his wife, Teresa was, Officer Rosser tried to fight them off. He was beaten; stabbed; cuffed (both arms and legs) and they tied a noose over his neck to choke him. When this didn’t kill him they shot him several times.

They then stuffed Officer Rosser and his wife into the car in which they would be found. When they set the car on fire, Officer Gary Rosser was still alive. His lungs had smoke inhalation.

Gary left behind two children, his mother Ruby, died six months later of a broken heart.

Teresa had three children, who a year later became orphans after losing their father (Teresa’s first husband) to a heart attack at age 33, which many attributed to the stress of this situation.

And to think that 21 years later, the Lake County Sheriff’s department is being investigated for the same issues that destroyed the Rosser family…When will the citizens of this county stand up and quit supporting these criminal thugs!
http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/939/436/31728/
http://ftp.resource.org/courts.gov/c/F2/939/939.F2d.436.90-1777.html

17a. Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife.

``Any thought I have that he might somehow walk the streets again makes me shudder,`` said Judge James Letsinger of Lake County Superior Court, Crown Point, when he imposed the near-maximum prison terms for double murder. `This sentence is intended to see that he doesn`t.``

Swetkey, for his part, stood mute. ``I haven`t anything to say,`` he muttered softly.Calling the crime ``well-planned executions,`` an Indiana judge sentenced confessed slayer George Swetkey to 110 years in prison Friday for the murders of a Lake County sheriff`s police officer and his wife. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-08-25/news/9003110650_1_inherently-evil-person-murders-sentence

17b. As a interesting side note, Mike Mokol Jr., was very much like his father. Mokol Jr. - the serially arrested son of late Merrillville Town Councilman and Lake County Police Chief Michael Mokol Sr. Mokol Sr., was convicted in 1990 of federal racketeering and illegal gambling charges for taking money to provide police protection for illegal gambling operations. Molok Jr, a, convicted felon -- was sentenced to 262 months in prison and five years of supervised release. May 2010. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/3f068990-2d53-5b33-8824-ff231ebd1268.html

Mokol Jr., a convicted felon with a criminal history spanning three states, is charged in the federal case with three counts of possessing specific handguns and ammunition after his criminal convictions and one count of using a specific gun during a drug trafficking crime. Prosecutors claim he orchestrated burglaries that yielded the guns. He is specifically charged with possessing a 9-mm handgun and a .45-caliber handgun.

18. Alan Frost, introduced to Hammond, believed by the McDermot Sr Administration. There had been a question on how Frost readily acquired the abandoned JC Pennies building on Hohman Avenue. Frost had the full blessing of the city to remodel an old store downtown for a computer school that was supposed to bring hundreds of jobs to Hammond. He eventually went to prison after being convicted in Florida for scamming the federal government on that venture.

19. Stewart Roth, Hammond Sanitary district Supt. admitted to illegally discharging untreated waste into the Grand Calumet River. Roth plead guilty in July of 1990. Roth faced a possible prison term of 20 years and a fine of $40,000.

Problems at the plant came to the forefront in 1988, after a growing stench at the plant was reported by north side residents and a 9-foot-deep . . .an``island`` of untreated human waste in the Grand Calumet was discovered by environmentalists; that unprocessed volume ``as enough to fill the Exxon Valdez 185 times.....the raw sewage was enough to cover Hammond`s approximately 25 square miles 30 inches deep.

The investigation found that Roth had reported that 30 billion gallons of sewage had been processed by the plant from Jan. 1, 1986, through May 31, 1988, when only 12 billion gallons were treated. Why he did this was never disclosed. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-07-14/news/9002270497_1_raw-sewage-sanitary-board-treatment-plant
Roth apparently didn't learn from his first go around.

In 2012 Roth plead guilty in Federal Court for illegal dumping. Unfortunately Roth and others operated, undiscovered for years and years, dumping untreated waste in Hammond sewage system at a company owned site at 141st St. Hammond authorities were apparently unaware this site was dumping illegal waste for years and years. It appears the Hammond Officials never inspected the site. So much for Hammond’s inspectional services. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/12254534-418/manager-at-ec-business-admits-illegal-dumping.html

20. Peter Benjamin, former Lake County auditor and assessor, paying bribes to Lake County Councilman Troy Montgomery.

21. Troy Montgomery, former Lake County councilman, accepting Benjamin's bribes.

22. & 23. Lake County Judge Steven Bielak, 34, pleaded guilty in Hammond before U.S. District Judge James Moody. Bielak, A traffic court judge in Lake County, Ind., and Robert Balitewicz, 49, a court clerk pleaded guilty to mail fraud charges arising from a federal investigation of the disposition of drunk driving cases in northwest Indiana. 1991

The two had been charged by a federal grand jury in a 28-count indictment in June 1986, for failing to notify the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles of drunk-driving convictions as required by state law. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1986-01-07/news/8601020398_1_indiana-judge-court-clerk-indiana-supreme-court http://www.justice.gov/osg/briefs/1989/sg890014.txt

24. Former Hammond City Controller Edward Brown, has pleaded guilty to income-tax charges and had cooperated with federal authorities. Brown, 42, was charged in April (1991) by the U.S. attorney's office for failure to report all his income for calendar year 1985.

June 1991, a full six years after his income tax evasion, Former city Controller Edward A. Brown implicated himself and others Thursday in a bribery scheme to protect video-poker gambling in Hammond. Brown, 42, of Hammond was pleading guilty before U.S. District Court Judge James Moody to a felony tax-fraud charge that he failed to disclose protection money he received from Reginald Kinkade.

He said Kinkade, owner of Variety Amusement Co. of East Chicago, gave him up to $4,000 each month from the fall of 1984 to the end of 1985 to keep police from seizing about 50 poker machines …

25. Glenn Kuipers, a former executive director of East Chicago's Tri-City Mental Health Center, and Noah Atterson Spann, a former county commissioner from the city, were indicted in the late 1980s for bribery and bilking taxpayers in connection with publicly buying an East Chicago nursing home at an exorbitant price.

Kuipers and his wife entered the federal witness protection program after he pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Spann, who went to prison in 1988. He finished his sentence 11 years later, was hired by former Mayor Robert Pastrick to run his 1999 re-election campaign and later was named director of community services.

26. Vince Kirrin, an East known as a back-room politician who wielded immense influence over East Chicago and Lake County politics. Kirrin was indicted during a federal investigation into corruption in Lake County and served time in prison for conspiracy and mail fraud convictions. Kirrin died in 1998. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-07-20/news/9103210240_1_bribes-cleaning-tax-fraud

Kirrin said he used elbow grease to vigorously clean the Lake County (Ind.) government center, transforming the courthouse, jail and office building ``from a pigsty into a showpiece.`` 1985-86 contract, which went to a firm nominally headed by his nephew, Joe Macko.

Macko testified that his uncle surprised him with a gift of $2,000 only days before he was called to testify under subpoena about the cleaning contract before a federal grand jury. Capp said the money was a bribe. Macko admitted he had no experience cleaning public buildings, unless``GI parties in the military`` was a qualifier. He said he performed no executive duties, and had no office.

The government contended that, in order to get the contract, Kirrin paid $30,000 in bribes to Lake County Commissioner Steve Corey. Corey denied the charge, saying any money from Kirrin was nothing more than a loan to the his family`s bakery business, and the loan had been repaid.

Former County Commissioner N. Atterson Spann testified against Kirrin, saying he and Corey were aware of Kirrin`s behind-the-scenes role. Spann is serving a 30-year federal prison sentence for taking bribes to influence county business. He said he hoped his testimony would earn him a sentence reduction.

But a federal court jury in Hammond convicted the East Chicago businessman of paying bribes to win a $246,000-a-year, no-bid contract to clean the center. Kirrin wished to avoid the public spotlight, said Capp, because he already was receiving up to $660,000 a year in county printing business.

27. & 28. Former Lake County Recorder Robert Freeland and his chief deputy, Valerie Levy, were charged Wednesday in connection with a money-laundering scheme that reportedly originated in the Lake County recorder's office. Article found in Northwest Indiana Times archives, when the Times was a real newspaper. Article dated May 20, 1999 12:00 am by ROBIN BIESEN. http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/ex-county-officials-charged/article_0503d665-684c-59fa-8ec5-7454e3cf6b72.html

According to DeGuilio, a consortium of title companies led by Ticor Title Insurance Co. collectively paid Microfilm Services and later Data Film $6,000 a month. Both firms were created by Freeland and Levy. Between 1989, when Freeland took office, to June 1995, the two crafted a scheme in which they allegedly diverted nearly 500,000 that would have been paid to the county in copying fees from land title companies into a pair of companies they created.

Data Film was created after the reported owner of Microfilm ervices, Ernest T. Williams, died. Court records show Data Film was owned by Veronica Adams, Levy's niece and a former employee of the recorder's office. In exchange for the fee, the title companies were supposed to receive microfilm copies of land documents. Microfilm copies of the documents were produced, but not by Freeland's companies. Federal documents indicate county employees did the work for which Freeland and Levy were paid.

Court documents show Levy took the title company checks that were sent to a post office box and cashed them at NBD Bank, taking a majority of the proceeds in cash.

U.S. Attorney Jon DeGuilio said Freeland, 59, and Levy, 48, a member of the Calumet Township Board, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit money-laundering. Each could receive sentences of up to five years in jail or fines of $500,000.

29. Noah Atterson Spann, 48, of East Chicago, the highest elected black county executive and a fellow county commissioner with Bartolomei: sentenced to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, fined $25,000 and ordered to forfeit $29,615 in payoff money.

28. Rudy Byron, 51, of Gary, a Spann protégé and former Lake County inspector: sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined $15,000 for accepting payoffs to help two janitorial firms get lucrative county contracts and for concealing payments of $50,000 from his income-tax returns.

30. East Chicago City Councilman Frank Kollintzas, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds, lying to the FBI. Frankie chose to flee to Greece. As a Greek national Frankie is exempt from extradition by Greece law. 11 years.

31. East Chicago City Councilman Joe De La Cruz, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. 6 years.

32. East Chicago City Controller Edwardo Maldonado, convicted for misappropriation of federal funds. Convicted a second time in July 2006 for using public money to pay his defense attorneys. 130 months.

33. East Chicago City Councilman Adrian Santos, pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy in connection with the $24 million sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

34. Joel Markovich, former Lake County councilman and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 18 months.

35. Robert J. Velligan, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

36. Marilyn and Gregory J. Gill, contractors, tax and bankruptcy fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

37. Dimitrios Sazalis, contractor, tax fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case.

38. East Chicago Parks Superintendent Jose Valdez Jr., fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 33 months.

39. East Chicago City Engineer Pedro Porras, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

40. East Chicago City Councilman Randall Artis, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 27 months.

41. Terrance Artis, brother of Randall Artis and contractor, fraud in connection with the sidewalks-for-votes case. 5 months.

42. Gerry Nannenga, former carpenter's union official, accepting bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

43. Kevin Pastrick, son of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

On May 2, 2005. Pastrick began serving his federal prison term for paying Gerry Nannenga, a former executive secretary and business manager for the Northwest Indiana District Council of Carpenters, bribes to influence the investment of $10 million of carpenters' pension money in Coffee Creek, a Porter County land deal that earned Pastrick $600,000 in commissions.

Nannenga pleaded guilty to accepting bribes last year and awaits sentencing April 8. Peter Manous, a former chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party and friend of Pastrick, is serving a 27-month sentence for his role as a go-between in the bribery and its cover-up.

A federal jury convicted Kevin Pastrick's business partner, 58-year-old Carl Paul Ihle Jr., of Lakes of the Four Seasons, of attempting to cover up the bribery investigation with lies and fraudulent documents. A judge sentenced him to 21 months in prison.

Pastrick also must pay a $177,500 fine in the federal case. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/pastrick-prostitution-charge-dropped/article_03ac73bf-2e76-5972-a1a9-acab8ba9e36f.html

44. Peter Manous, former Indiana Democratic chairman, paying bribes to approve the Coffee Creek land deal.

45. Carl Paul Ihle Jr., co-owner with Kevin Pastrick of Sand Creek Sales, forging documents and lying about the Coffee Creek land deal.

46. & 47. Katie Hall and Junifer Hall, In May 2002, Katie Hall, again serving as Gary City Clerk, and her daughter, Chief Deputy Clerk Junifer Hall, were indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering, extortion, and mail fraud.

Junifer Hall was also charged with five counts of perjury. Hall eventually pleaded guilty to mail fraud and was sentenced to house arrest and probation. Junifer Hall was sentenced to 16 months in federal prison. Gary city clerk, was convicted of extorting $19,000 in campaign contributions from office employees. Hall was Indiana's first African-American member of Congress. Someone in her office reached out to federal authorities asking for relief.

48. Jojuana Meeks, embezzling money from Gary Urban Enterprise Association. This embezzlement involved millions, upon millions of dollars, diverted from its original use to revitalize Gary for personal use. A common theme in NWI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Urban_Enterprise_Association http://www.nwitimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/time-to-change-leadership-at-gary-urban-enterprise-association/article_6a84cac2-213b-5b6a-9298-19242c89ac55.html

49. Wanda Joshua, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township.

50. Charmaine Pratchett, embezzling money from GUEA.

51. Derrick Earls, embezzling from GUEA board.

52. Johnnie Wright, embezzling from GUEA board.

53. Greg Hill, contractor who didn't report GUEA income.

54. Will Smith Jr., Lake County Council president, tax evasion for a questionable land deal with GUEA.

55. Roosevelt Powell, former delinquent tax collector for Lake County, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

56. Former East Chicago Police Chief Edward Samuels, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

57. East Chicago Building Commission Miguel "Mike" Arredondo, ghost employment as a security guard in a city housing project. Placed on probation.

58. Gary City Parks Superintendent Kimberly Lyles, lying to federal agents about influence peddling.

59. Assistant County Building Administrator Jan Allison, extortion.

60. G. Gregory Cvitkovich, former North Township trustee, tax fraud.

61. James H. Fife III, a former special assistant to the East Chicago mayor, federal tax fraud.

62. Karen Krahn-Fife, federal tax fraud.

63. Robert White, Gary city councilman, fraud.

64. Lake County Recorder Morris Carter, extortion. Carter was sentenced in 2006 to 51 months in prison for extorting bribes totalling $1,900 from contractor Peter Livas, who wore a wire for the FBI and taped Carter talking openly about the payments.

In exchange for the bribes, Livas got a contractor's license he was not entitled to, received signed paperwork to remove a lien from his personal home, and had early access to a list of foreclosed properties that Livas could buy for his rehabbing business.

Carter testified in his own defense that the payments were legal "consulting" fees. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake-county-official-could-get-less-prison-time/article_82d107fa-df98-5b71-aafb-b604551c10ad.html

65. Paul Hernandez, union fraud and corruption.

66. Ken Castaldi, union fraud and corruption.

67. Otho Lyles III, tax evasion and lying to FBI in Gary City Hall investigation.

68. Jewell Harris Sr Convicted of double-billing Gary for debris-hauling work at The Steel Yard stadium. Harris was once one of the most powerful political figures in Gary. Harris, former Mayor Scott King’s campaign manager until the two had a bitter split, had been charged with seven counts of money laundering and mail and wire fraud stemming from work Harris did hauling debris from the stadium site in 2001. Convicted that he bilked the city out of $1.5 million while working on the $45 million baseball stadium.

69. Willie Harris, Gary attorney, tax evasion, theft conspiracies involving GUEA land deals.

70. Bob Cantrell , a long time East Chicago political operative. Cantrell was reportedly behind McDermott Sr first run for Hammond Mayor, was convicted of tax evasion and insurance fraud. Cantrell used his influence with area elected officials, judges., etc to obtain contracts for a counseling company owned and operated by Nancy Fromm. Cantrell's income was reported in federal transcripts to be over $200,000 a year. Who says crime doesn't pay?

71. Nancy Fromm, addiction counselor, lying to federal agents. Fromm reportedly derived substantial income for referrals tor her company, due to Bobby Cantrell's political connections.

72. Former Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga, fraud in using office to personally benefit her family business.

73. Ann Marie Karras , age 65 of Gary, guilty in April 2009 of two fraud counts for taking checks from a federal contract between 2000 and 2002. (Seven Years Later ) Karras was serving as Calumet Township as the Deputy of Finance.

Co-conspirators Calumet Township Trustee, Dozier T. Allen, Jr., and three of his senior employees at the trustee’s office, Wanda Joshua, and Albert Young, Jr. were charged and found guilty of mail fraud. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

74. Dozier Allen, Calumet Township Trustee, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township, found guilty.

75. Albert Young Jr., who signed a plea agreement and admitted guilt, to two years on probation, convicted with skimming money from a federal grant to Calumet Township. http://www.justice.gov/usao/inn/press_release/documents/2007/September_07/DAllen_9.20-indicted.htm

76. Morris Carter, County Recorder took a $1,000 bribe. http://articles.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010-08-25/news/28516846_1_schererville-town-judge-east-chicago-city-council-robert-pastrick

77. Jerry Haymon has plead guilty, per court records, a year after their indictment on on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The defendants (Drago-Hunter, Jerry Haymon, Sheila Chandler and Phillip Rucker) were indicted on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft accused of funneling the more than $300,000 to themselves between October 2007 and November 2008 by inflating the purchase prices of four Gary properties, faking buyers' financial security, forging loan documents and filing fake mechanic's liens against three of the four properties for work that never was done, federal records state.http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

78. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter, Gary HUD Official, October 6, 2011 was suspended for her October 2010 federal indictment for her suspected involvement in an alleged real estate fraud scheme. Drago-Hunter is responsible for administering millions of dollars of federal money to dozens of social service agencies. The former director of community development for the city of Gary admitted Friday morning (01/13/2011) in federal court to working with a local businessman in a mortgage fraud scheme that took in almost $200,000. Jacquelyn Drago-Hunter plead guilty to one count of wire fraud.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/9993779-418/former-gary-official-pleads-guilty-to-mortgage-scheme.html

HUD spokesman Jerry Brown said. “Gary has to help itself by cleaning up its act. It’s going to take that type of commitment in building its track record if the city is going to continue getting federal funds.”
April 19th, 2012 sentenced to spend 15 months in prison in addition to paying restitution of almost $88,000, a federal judge ruled Thursday afternoon.

79. Sheila Chandler has plead guilty, per court records, a year after her indictment on charges of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/former-gary-city-official-nearing-plea-deal-in-federal-fraud/article_8002b627-2f2e-5032-8cfa-c8148cd40e08.html

80. Frederick M. Cuppy, 70, Merrillville’s former town attorney and Peter G. Rogan, 65, formerly of Valparaiso, were charged October 3rd, 2011 in Chicago in connection with their roles in hiding money from federal investigators and a bank, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Chicago. Cuppy was charged with one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, three counts of perjury and three counts of obstruction of justice. http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/8018706-418/former-merrillville-attorney-indicted-by-feds.html
Cuppy is accused of hiding funds so that Rogan could avoid paying $188 million in judgment awarded against him in 2006.

81. Marilyn Krusas, 69, a Gary City Councilwoman since 2000, was charged with one count of tax evasion. Federal authorities allege Krusas failed to file tax returns since 1991. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

In addition to failing to file returns, officials allege she failed to pay taxes on an inheritance she received in the 2009-2010 tax year. The inheritance was $230,000.Krusas was scheduled for her initial appearance at 12:45 today. Krusas plead guilty March 2013.

82. George Pabey, E. Chicago Mayor, convicted on stealing less than $15,000

83. Jose Camacho, East Chicago city employee conviction along with Pabey.

84. & 85. The former treasurer for East Chicago's public schools will plead guilty to receiving a bribe — a federal offense that could carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Francisco "Frank" Ramirez, 49, of East Chicago, exchanged a school contract with a local construction company for thousands of dollars in free home repairs, according to a plea agreement filed Monday. Ramirez and Geraldo "Jerry" Lozano, 34, of Hobart, were indicted Thursday. The indictment was unsealed Friday. Lozano, who owned Green Tree Builders, is charged with paying a bribe to an agent or local government receiving federal funds, while Ramirez was charged with receiving that bribe. In 2008, East Chicago's schools received more than $10,000 in federal funding. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-school-treasurer-to-plead-guilty-to-accepting/article_a7eff7f7-583a-5f59-a47a-9fa2a4d9a8f8.html#ixzz1p2QVuXvM

Ramirez plead guilty. To receive the most benefit from his plea agreement, Ramirez must provide information that leads to a separate criminal prosecution, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Bell said during the hearing. Lozano was convicted and received 21 months in a federal prison.http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/17391282-418/lozano-gets-21-months-for-bribery.html

86. Thomas Philpot, has held several county offices for 21 years, and currently the Lake County Coroner, was convicted on 08/24/12 after a 5 day trial. Philpot received a 18 month sentence. Some believe Philpot may have shared information with authorities in exchange for such a short sentence. Philpot was convicted of pocketed more than $24,000 from Indiana's federally funded child support incentive funds. He controlled the funds between 2004 and 2009 while serving as Lake County clerk. The fund were intended, as bonuses for line staff. Philpot and his two administrative assistants apparently pocketed the vast majority of these funds over the years Philpot held the County Clerk's Office. Philpot's education as a licensed attorney and medical doctor/podiatrist, appeared to work against him at trial.

The law forbids elected officials from giving themselves such bonuses without the approval of the seven-member fiscal body called the County Council.

The conviction strips Philpot from office as county coroner and all but ends his public career, which includes election as county coroner in 1992, 1996 and 2008; election as county clerk in 2002 and 2006; and his unsuccessful campaigns for Hammond mayor in 1995 and 1999, and for sheriff in 2010.

Philpot turned himself in to serve his reduced sentence of 18 months on Tuesday, March 19th, 2013. Was someone talking and someone else listening? http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/philpot-guilty-on-all-five-counts/article_2ab1a901-230b-5114-8ebe-91b84326c1f3.html

87. Virlissa Crenshaw, 42, of East Chicago, is charged with theft (September 2011) from local government, with another count of filing a false tax return for 2009. Sentence to be determined. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-nab-nwi-officials-on-tax-fraud-other-charges/article_3fe970a9-3e39-53a9-a23f-56b43e98837a.html

Crenshaw was a clerk with the Merrillville Town Court at the time of the offenses. She has already signed a plea agreement filed today (October 2012) admitting her guilt to stealing cash bonds. The loss to the Town of Merrillville was $176,763 and the tax loss to the federal government was $55,203.

88. The FBI raided George Van Till's Office in 2012 confiscating computer records. Mr. VanTil is the Lake County Surveyor. A Grand Jury has been chaired investigating some matter in his office. The specific focus of the grand jury is unknown.

The raid resulted in a criminal indictment (May 17th, 2013), two counts of obstruction of justice and six federal felony counts of wire fraud. A "tip" lead the authorities to the investigation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/hammond/feds-van-til-indicted-for-using-public-employees-resources-for/article_00f8f717-4dd4-5856-8869-eebc1c121d80.html

Van Till plead guilty, an agreement mad public on December 12th, 2013 noted, The government alleged VanTill ordered an employee, who had worked for the surveyor's office for about a month in November 2011, to do his campaign work and little else.

The plea agreement contains a statement by Van Til that he "was fully aware of the rules and regulations contained in the Lake County Employee Handbook and various Lake County ordinances regarding the prohibition of using Lake County office equipment for political purposes.

"I did knowingly and intentionally request and direct some employees of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office to engage in political campaign work while they were being paid with Lake County governmental funds. Furthermore, I knew that while doing this campaign work at the Lake County Surveyor’s Office, these employees were using Lake County property and equipment to engage in political activity.

"Furthermore, I knew that false payroll information for these employees was being submitted for full payment of their entire salaries, even though some of their time at the Surveyor’s office was used to engage in political activity, rather than the legitimate work of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office.

"I further agree that since some of the Lake County Surveyor’s Office’s employees who were engaging in political activity while being paid with Lake County government funds had their payroll checks electronically deposited, payment of these salaries would involve some type of an electronic wire transmission. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/lake-county-surveyor-van-til-admits-guilt-in-plea-agreement/article_55ecd377-7f49-57d7-8e56-b8372f9d11c4.html

Video of the indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_SxbMDD2RQ

89 a & 89 b. Alfonso Salinas Hammond 2nd District councilman in Hammond, was charged with receipt of a bribe by an agent of local government who was receiving federal funds.

Federal authorities allege that Salinas steered city tree cutting business to David Johnson, 56, of Munster, owner of Dave’s Tree Service. (Note David Johnson was a benefactor of the East Chicago Sidewalks for vote scandal, his company reportedly did hundreds of thousands of dollars of work in E. Chicago. Some say either McDermott or Cantrell or both brought Johnson into Hammond to continue the patronage tree. Johnson plead guilty and as of this writing his sentencing has been delayed several times. There is speculation he is cooperating with federal authorities).

Salinas is alleged to have steered $300,000 in casino funds that he had at his disposal to Johnson's company for tree cutting and tree removal work. Federal authorities further allege Salinas took a $10,500 kickback for steering the work Johnson’s way. Johnson was charged with payment of a bribe to an agent of local government. (Johnson later plead guilty). Salinas is also charged with four counts of willful failure to file tax returns from 2006 to 2009. Salinas agreed to a plea agreement on two counts April 2013.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

Salinas plead guilty in mid May 2013, sentenced to 42 months. Salinas surrender to Federal Authorities in October.

90. Juda Parks, 40, of East Chicago, is charged with two counts of failure to file income tax returns for years 2008 and 2009. Parks, and East Chicago City Councilman since 2008 and an East Chicago police officer, has signed a plea agreement admitting guilt on all charges.

Parks has agreed to cooperate with the federal government on other unspecified cases, according to federal authorities. (interesting statement) http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

91. Manuel Montalvo, 38, of East Chicago, is charged in an indictment with two counts of filing false tax returns for years 2009 and 2010. In an update, not referred to in the following link. Mr. Motalvo plead guilty and received four months probation. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake ... 8837a.html

The indictment alleges that Montalvo, the former director of the East Chicago Public Library, overstated unreimbursed business expenses and medical and dental expenses. Those expenses amounted to $32,000 in medical and dental expenses and $47,000 in employee and business expenses over the two years.

reached a deal with federal prosecutors Friday (August 2nd, 2013), pleading guilty to one of two counts of filing a false federal tax return. Montalvo faces up to three years in prison and a maximum $100,000 fine, according to the plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court in Hammond.

Montalvo pleaded guilty to providing false information on his 2009 federal tax return by claiming $23,282 in unreimbursed business expenses. Specifically, Montalvo claimed business expenses for use of his vehicle, travel, meals, entertainment and other expenses in his position as library director. However, the East Chicago Public Library Board already had reimbursed him for all employee-related expenses. He received 24 months probation.

In addition, Montalvo admits to falsely claiming $17,063 in unreimbursed medical expenses, according to court documents. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/montalvo-pleads-guilty-to-one-count-of-tax-fraud/article_6bbc3132-05d1-55fd-b29d-ab871918ce3d.html

Montalvo, Lake County style has pending federal litigation against East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland, claiming he was illegally fired as library director because of his political support for now imprisoned, former Mayor George Pabey. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/east-chicago/former-e-c-library-director-sentenced-to-months-probation/article_3176ecaf-a201-5182-85ae-da93c011bc73.html

92. Although not specifically a county employee, Roman Perez of Crown Point and owner of Roman Art, Inc. has plead guilty to tax evasion and making false statements under oath during a bankruptcy proceeding. Perez understated $100,100 of 2007 income, of which the feds report $80,000 of 2007 income came from the Lake County Commissary Fund. Exactly what "Roman Art, Inc." did or does will be posted at a later time.

Perez as part of his plea agreement, agreed to cooperate in an ongoing investigation.

Video of Indictment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qphJKtY041c

93. Hammond-based U.S. Attorney David Capp announced Monday that Gary City Councilman Ronier Scott, 42, is charged in Hammond federal court with two counts of willfully failing to file income tax returns for 2008 and 2009. Scott signed a plea agreement filed in conjunction with the charges, both misdemeanors, court records show.

Scott admits in the plea agreement he chose not to file federal returns for income he earned in 2008 and 2009 through his position on the Gary City Council and while working at a business owned by a family member. http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/gary/gary-councilman-ronier-scott-charged-with-failing-to-file-tax/article_2f46723d-2b4f-5ccc-8ec7-2b643715a438.html

94. An unnamed current sitting, elected county official who testified at the Philpot trial, reportedly has a sealed 2012 Grand Jury indictment.

95. A grand jury indicted a former Merrillville town councilman, Terrell Taylor, on a charge of forgery.

Terrell Taylor, 49, was indicted Thursday on one Class C felony count. The criminal charge stemmed from an investigation into his business, Taylor Development Corp., and was not related to anything he did on the Town Council, said Indiana State Police spokeswoman Ann Wojas.

Taylor served as a Town Council member between 2004 and 2008. He made history in 2003 by becoming one of Merrillville's first two African-American Town Council members.

He also helped establish the Merrillville Education Foundation in 1992, became its first president and has served as chairman of the town's Environmental Affairs Committee. He is president and CEO of the Merrillville-based contracting company Taylor Development Corp.

Town officials suspected Taylor had forged business documents in May 2013 and asked the state police to investigate, Wojas said. Merrillville police did not handle the investigation to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, she said.
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/merrillville/former-merrillville-town-councilman-indicted-on-forgery-charge/article_cd82f2a2-69d0-58ed-97d1-26d5d2cb0f15.html

96. And has a current grand jury been empaneled to review if sufficient evidence exist to charge a past county elected official?

97. Well is trouble brewing in the Calumet Township Office of Mary Elgin. You bet ya. http://nwigazette.com/2014/03/28/audits-key-to-understanding-fbi-raids-on-elgin-offices/

98. 99. & 100. A trifecta and a family affair~! A close political allied of Hammond's Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr was indicted April 16th 2014, charged with public corruption in an 11 Count Indictment filed by the US Attorney's Office.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office, a conspiracy between Keith Soderquist and his wife, Deborah Soderquist were charged with committing wire fraud in connection with financial transactions involving the Mayor’s campaign finance account and the Lake Station Food Pantry account. These accounts were allegedly used by the Soderquists to obtain cash for personal expenses, including gambling activities at casinos in Indiana and Michigan.


The second indictment names Keith Soderquist, 44, Deborah Soderquist, 55, and Miranda Brakley, Soderquist's step daughter, 33, a former employee of Lake Station. Brakley is charged with theft of funds from Lake Station from Aug. 1, 2011 through July 31, 2012. Brakley is also charged with bankruptcy fraud for failing to disclose certain payments received from Lake Station on her bankruptcy schedules, the press release said.

Keith and Deborah Soderquist are charged in the second indictment for being accessories after the fact. The last count alleges that Keith and Deborah Soderquist structured a series of financial transactions in order to avoid the reporting requirements under federal law, the press release said. The indictment alleges that in December 2012, the Soderquists obtained $15,000 from an individual. They instructed that individual to write three checks in amounts less than $10,000 (the reporting requirement under federal law) and to back date two of those checks. From Dec. 8-12, 2012, those checks were cashed at different branches of JP Morgan Chase bank, the press release said.
http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/lake/26889254-418/lake-station-mayor-wife-indicted.html

Soderquist's daughter's name has surfaced in other areas, from misplacing a bag of cash, to some questions, if I remember correctly, with regard to use - alleged misuse of sick leave.

101. Are witness being lined up to indict a very powerful northern Lake County Politician?


Who do you think may be next?




Individuals and/or corporations named in the above links are presumed innocent unless a court of law finds otherwise.

[b]14491[b]

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XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


Last edited by justcallmetommy on Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 100 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 2:37 pm 
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Location: In the trenches
Funny how the Rethuglicons take care of their own:

Ethics committee accepts $5,000 settlement from Tony Bennett
Quote:
The State Ethics Committee accepted a settlement today that former Indiana schools chief Tony Bennett admitted to using state resources for political reasons and will pay a $5,000 fine.

http://www.indystar.com/story/news/poli ... /12430211/[/url]

...and George Van Til is going to do time for that EXACT same thing...

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I will repeal Obamacare (DIDN'T HAPPEN)
I will make Mexico to pay for the wall. (NO...WE ARE)
I will surround myself with the best people! (MOST ARE UNDER INVESTIGATION)


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 Post subject: Re: 100 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 6:05 am 
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https://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/inlawrev/article/viewFile/3763/3714

How soon forgotten!

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XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


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 Post subject: Re: 100 LC Officials & Insiders Convicted or under Indictment
PostPosted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 6:21 am 
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http://citation.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/3/9/1/8/pages139180/p139180-1.php

Interesting article on some Lake County History!

19858

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XMPT wrote in Dermott Minions now stating No Sweet House? Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 9:04 am. Hammonite you might want to say a prayer to your God for freetime. She got back what she dished out.


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