U.S. attorney launches assault on corruption
Nineteen investigators assigned to nab crooked Lake County politicians
Post-Tribune (IN)
June 30, 2002
There is nothing wrong with feeding at the public trough.
Just don't overeat as Lake County Auditor Peter Benjamin and County Councilman Troy Montgomery were accused of doing last week.
Big Brother is watching with renewed interest.
Former U.S. Attorney James Richmond started the Operation Lights Out investigation into public corruption in the 1980s.
Three county commissioners, the county assessor and others went to prison.
When President Clinton took office and Jon DeGuilio was named the local U.S. attorney, the crackdown on corruption slowed.
With President Bush in the White House and Joseph Van Bokkelen in the U.S. attorney's office, the pendulum has swung back.
"A principal effort of what I am doing here is public corruption," Van Bokkelen said. "It has come back onto the front burner."
Van Bokkelen, however, isn't saying DeGuilio turned his back on public corruption.
"When (indictments) happen, it sort of slows (corruption) down," Van Bokkelen said. "These things seem to cycle around a little bit.
"Also, with the Clinton administration, there were other priorities out there, particularly the drug issue. Even local priorities change based on the national administration."
Van Bokkelen has moved swiftly. Since taking over last year, Gary city Clerk Katie Hall and her daughter, Junifer Hall, were indicted on public corruption charges.
That was followed up last week with the Benjamin and Montgomery indictments on public corruption charges.
There is more on the way.
"We have any number of public corruption investigations ongoing," First Assistant U.S. Attorney David Capp said last week.
The investigators also have the resources.
At last week's indictment news conference, it was announced there are 19 investigators from the Internal Revenue Service, the FBI and the Indiana State Police assigned full time to public corruption cases.
"Business as usual is no longer an excuse to prey on the citizens of this county," said FBI special agent Ted Wasky.
If Van Bokkelen is correct and public corruption is cyclical, Purdue University Calumet political science professor Maurice Eisenstein said the people let it happen.
"It is accepted as part of the government," Eisenstein said. "(Corruption) has become institutionalized. It is part of how you get elected, part of how you stay in power."
The renewed emphasis on public corruption with a Republican in the U.S. attorney's office says something but isn't the only answer, Eisenstein said.
"What the difference is is the party organization in Lake County," he said. "It is dominated by the Democratic Party that has been in control of most public offices that lend themselves to that kind of corruption. People stay until they die in office."
While Eisenstein said Chicago Democrats aren't immune from corruption, there is also a commitment to making the city work.
"There is not that kind of commitment here," he said.
What particularly bothers Eisenstein about public corruption in Lake County is the economic impact.
"It has so permeated this county, it is the largest block to economic development," Eisenstein said. "Corruption has kept businesses out of here. The smoke screen is that high taxes keep people from coming here.
"Corruption is very debilitating when you have to pay people for connections. The tax thing is the biggest lie put on the people of Northwest Indiana."
