03092018 - News Article - Convicted former sheriff gets extension to file appeal

Convicted former sheriff gets extension to file appeal
Chicago Tribune
March 0 9, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-buncich-appeal-new-deadline-st-0312-20180311-story.html

Convicted former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich got a two-month extension to file his appeal, according to court documents.

Kerry Connor, Buncich's appellate attorney, asked the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to push back the deadline to file an appeal until May as the trial transcript is still being completed, according to court documents. The 7th Circuit set a new deadline for Buncich to file an appeal for May 14.

"Mr. Buncich's trial involved a lengthy trial, complex issues, and a voluminous record. Appellate counsel was not involved in the trial proceedings," Connor wrote in court documents. "Thus, in order to effectively prepare the opening brief in this case, counsel will need an opportunity to fully review and evaluate the record."

Buncich, 72, was convicted for using his office to solicit bribes from tow operators, according to court records, and in January was taken into federal custody after being sentenced to a more than 15-year prison term.

The former sheriff first went to Metropolitan Correction Center, a federal holding facility in Chicago, according to the Bureau of Prisons, and is now at MCFP Springfield, a secure federal medical center in Missouri.

Judge James Moody in January sentenced Buncich to 15 years and eight months in federal prison after he was convicted of bribery and wire fraud during a 14-day trial in August.

Buncich, former Chief Timothy Downs and William Szarmach, of C.S.A. Towing, were named in a multicount indictment in November 2016 alleging a towing scheme where the sheriff accepted bribes in the form of thousands of dollars in cash and donations to his campaign fund, Buncich Boosters, according to court records.

Downs pleaded guilty in December 2016, according to court documents, and Szarmach pleaded guilty in July 2017. Both agreed to testify against Buncich during his August trial.