If you were a resident of east Chicago in 1999, you could get a free sidewalk, in exchange for a vote.
By Andy Grimm Post-Tribune staff writer
SCHERERVILLE — Steve Carter on Thursday formally announced his support for his top deputy, Greg Zoeller, to succeed him as state attorney general.
Northwest Indiana is the home turf of Zoeller’s rival, Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas, but Carter told a small gathering of Republican state convention delegates at a local restaurant that Zoeller would continue the fight against public corruption in the region.Zoeller, a New Albany native who has been Carter’s top deputy since 2001, confirmed that he would continue Carter’s voter fraud task force and a civil racketeering lawsuit against former East Chicago Mayor Robert A. Pastrick and other Lake County insiders.
[…]
Costas, an elder law attorney, said he also would continue the no-call list and voter fraud initiatives started under Carter. Asked if he also would press the civil racketeering lawsuit against Pastrick, Costas said he had not reviewed the lawsuit in detail.
Funny, Costas’ firm is representing the bad guys. See here, and here.
More about the case from the NWITimes.com
EAST CHICAGO | State lawyers have begun offering out-of-court settlements to whittle down the number of defendants in the long-running federal racketeering lawsuit against the old East Chicago political machine.
The complex case once featured a list of 27 city officials and contractors, but recent court filings say lawyers for Attorney General Steve Carter’s office expect to bring perhaps three or four people to court when the case finally goes to trial.
[…]
Attorneys for the state have said it’s the first time racketeering laws have been used to classify an entire city government as a “corrupt enterprise.”
Since it’s a civil lawsuit, the most that could happen to any of the defendants is to be ordered to pay large fines. Prosecutors say the 1999 sidewalks-for-votes scheme drained more than $24 million from city coffers and nearly bankrupted East Chicago.
[…]
U.S. District Judge James Moody — who was just appointed to oversee the complex case in January — has refused to set a trial date as he pores over thousands of pages of motions and supporting records.
Moody did approve the requests to dismiss Weems, Miskowski and Santos, who helped engineer or cover up the scheme in which concrete was poured and trees were trimmed on private land by city-funded workers in exchange for votes in the 1999 mayoral primary.
A motion filed by lawyers from Carter’s office said many of the remaining defendants are expected to settle out of the case, leaving probably three for trial: Pastrick and his two former special assistants, Timothy Raykovich and James Fife III.
AWB
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Wow … The Governor really knows how to pick them. This is a major conflict of interest for someone running for Attorney General.
Wow … this is embarrassing for Costas backers …
OMG. Looks like Costas has picked sides. He chose to side with Robert Pastrick and the EC political machine. Why did we not know this before hand? All along we’ve been told he was an elder lawyer. Now we know his law firm defends corruption. This is a small law firm too after scanning over the website….Costas has to know the details about this RICO case. Attorney General Costas is the Chicago way!!
AWB: Why are main stream medias not picking this up? This seems significant to me.
Did you not read the article that stated that Weems and Miskoski were dismissed. Those are the two parties represented by an attorney from his office. Second, John Costas has no control over who is partners choose to take on as clients. There was no conflict at all for them to take them on as clients when they did. Short of a conflict, an attorney is going to take what clients he wants.
I have no idea who either Costas or Zoeller are, but to try and discredit him because of who is partners have as clients is ridiculus. The reason the main stream media is not picking this up is because it is not a story. But then again, I thought his endorsement was because he was an attorney at Barnes and Thornbug…..but apparently not.
Editors note: Eric, you’re an attorney. Do you mean to tell me that in a small law firm, especially where one of the partners is running for the AG nomination they wouldn’t talk about it? It is a story.
How much has Hunt Suedhoff Kalamaros contributed to his campaign?
Eric-What are you talking about? A partner in a law firm is an owner and shares in the profits of the firm. How can he make money by defending corrupt individuals and be able to adequately serve our state in prosecuting them. If he did not like working in firm representing corrupt individuals he should have left. Instead he took the money. I am disappointed the Governor picked this person, I think he got some bad advice from those political people around him. Costas can not get around this, worse, will he do favors for people who pay his old firm. I know, everyone will say what a great guy he is. I am sure his partners are also. And so are the racketeers who are corrupt.
As an attorney, Costas cannot ethically continue this case if he is Attorney General because of his involvement in the case. This is very troubling. I am not a delegate but I will not vote for Costas in the fall if he is the Republican candidate. Why would Republicans shoot themselves in the foot with a candidate like this???
This entire situation is very troubling and my opinion of Mitch Daniels has changed because of it.
If every politician who commits a crime goes to jail, Congress and most state legislatures would be unable to hold quorums. Which may not be a bad thing
Love the slander and smears white boy, gotta be fun for you.
First, Jon Costas rents office space from a law firm in Valparaiso. That law firm represents tons of people, and Jon has no involvement in the day to day of the firm. He had his own office before he was elected, and decided to keep an office exclusively for elder law while Mayor.
Editor’s note: Taken directly from the firm’s web site:
Jon is the exact opposite of Mayor Pastrick and his criminal cronies. The fact that Lake County needs to be cleaned up is the reason to elect Jon and not re-elect Steve Carter’s chosen replacement. Perhaps letting bad guys walk for the last decade could come to a stop?
This smearing is beneath you white boy.
Was driving earlier, but fishing this afternoon. Thanks for the concern though …
I am concerned that at the end of the day, when Jon wins the nomination, that these attacks become the fodder for the Linda Pence campaign. I sure haven’t seen Jon’s staff, campaign team, or handlers return that kind of negative fire on Mr. Zoeller.
I have said he’s a lifelong bureaucrat, if that’s a smear then I would be the only one returning fire.