Lake County sheriff seeks delay in corruption trial
Post-Tribune
January 05, 2017
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-buncich-snyder-trials-st-0106-20170105-story.html
Lake County Sheriff John Buncich asked a federal judge to delay his trial on corruption charges.
Buncich's attorney, Bryan Truitt, filed a motion in federal court Thursday that aims to move the sheriff's trial from Jan. 17 to April, according to court documents, and cited the potential for needing to review "voluminous" material, including more than 45 CDs of audio and video recordings.
Truitt, in his motion, said that Buncich's defense team has yet to receive discovery material from federal authorities and would not be able to prepare for a January trial. Without being prepared, Buncich would not receive a fair trial, Truitt said.
"The government represents that the discovery is massive and the defense would not be able to sort through it all by Jan. 17, 2017, even if the same were received today," Truitt wrote.
Buncich, former Chief of Police Timothy Downs and William Szarmach, of CSA Towing in Lake Station, were named in a multicount indictment Nov. 18 alleging an illegal towing scheme in which the sheriff accepted bribes in the form of thousands of dollars in cash and donations to his campaign fund, Buncich's Boosters, according to court records. All three are facing charges of wire fraud, while Buncich and Szarmach also are charged with bribery.
The sheriff, whose department was in charge of deciding which companies were called for towing services, and Downs allegedly steered business toward towing operators in exchange for cash and checks, the U.S. attorney alleged in a 14-page indictment. Buncich allegedly took more than $25,000 in cash bribes and $7,000 in checks from Szarmach and another towing operator identified as "Individual A," according to the indictment.
Buncich and Szarmach pleaded not guilty during their initial appearances in November.
Downs struck a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney's office, which a federal judge has not yet accepted, admitting he allegedly cooperated with Buncich to solicit brides from tow truck operators for favorable treatment. In addition, Downs, in the agreement, said he submitted his resignation from the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
As a part of the plea agreement, Downs would cooperate with federal authorities and provide any information relative to the commission of any crime.
During Downs' plea hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson said authorities have a series of recordings between "Individual A," Downs and Szarmach that reportedly detail the scheme to solicit and collect bribes in exchange for towing jobs.
As Buncich seeks to have his trial delayed, a federal judge agreed to move the trials of two Porter county men charged with corruption.
On Wednesday, Judge Paul Cherry granted Portage Mayor James Synder and John Cortina, of Kustom Auto Body in Portage, a continuance for their trials, which were set for January. Trials are now set to begin April 10, according to court documents.
Snyder and Cortina were charged with allegedly violating a federal bribery statute. Capp said the mayor solicited money from Cortina and "Individual A" and gave them a towing contract for Portage.
Snyder received an additional bribery indictment for alleged accepting $13,000 in connection with a Board of Works contract, and allegedly obstructing Internal Revenue laws.
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