Accusations fly in judge race trial
Riga's attorney said she had no influence over accused vote stealer
NWI Times
Aug 7, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/local/accusations-fly-in-judge-race-trial/article_25caad59-1b3d-5e9f-b308-ef84ad5edd64.html
CROWN POINT -- After saying the Schererville town judge race "will go down in history as the most corrupt," lawyers for contender Kenneth Anderson lined up a dozen witnesses who either didn't know they voted or said someone else voted for them.
In addition, Anderson's defense team grilled a stone-faced Bob "Bosko" Grkinich on his alleged role in several cases of blatant voter fraud, accusing him of voting for other people, forging mail-in ballot applications and looking over the shoulder of elderly residents while they voted in their own home.
Grkinich, a precinct committeeman and failed candidate for other seats, refused to answer any of the questions, invoking his constitutional right to not incriminate himself.
Anderson's attorneys brought about 20 witnesses to the stand during Wednesday's trail, the first day in his court challenge to May's Democratic primary, which he lost to incumbent Town Judge Deborah Riga by 11 votes. Anderson is trying to convince a county judge that Grkinich strong-armed people to vote for Riga and orchestrated a scheme to vote in the names of other people.
Lake Superior Court Judge Mary Beth Bonaventura could order a new election in individual precincts or the entire town if she buys his case. Anderson is focusing on mail-in ballots. He won at the polls, but Riga pulled off the win once absentee ballots where counted.
The testimony and mounting evidence of voter fraud apparently became too much at one point for Riga, who burst into tears during a court break. Her attorney, Robert Vann, said Riga had nothing to do with Grkinich and his alleged tactics.
"She had absolutely no knowledge of this," he said when the hearing was over. "She never asked (Grkinich) to campaign for her."
Anderson's defense team made several attempts to show a link between Grkinich and the election winner.
They presented a picture taken from Riga's campaign literature, showing the two posed together with other unknown individuals.
A precinct committeeman who supported Anderson told the judge he saw Grkinich two days after the election leaving Riga's office.
"When he walked by me, he said, 'well I had to come by and congratulate the winning lady,' " said Thomas Schmitt.
However, one resident testified Grkinich told him he was campaigning for Robert Phares, who ran against and lost to incumbent Town Trustee Steve Kil in the Democratic primary.
Perhaps the strongest evidence of voter fraud came from six witnesses who where clueless about ballots requested, voted and counted in their name. Three of the ballots where mailed to Grkinich's mother's house. Another was in the name of Grkinich's cousin.
Additionally, two elderly woman said they signed their ballots, but Grkinich voted for them. Another elderly woman said she didn't know who voted her ballot, but she knew it wasn't her.
Another three witnesses said they applied for an absentee ballot, but asked relatives to vote for them without properly indicating that on the ballot.
One person said they got a ballot and voted but never formally requested an application.
In all of those instances, the ballot would be considered illegal under state and federal law. Also in every case, the witnesses said Grkinich was a family friend they met at the local Serbian church, St. George.
Many of them said Grkinich was present when they voted and several said Grkinich took the ballots from them afterwards.
Absentee ballots are supposed to be voted in secret and mailed by the voter.
On Wednesday, Anderson's attorneys said they secured statements from two other Schererville residents. Those statements will be admitted Friday.
One person is in the hospital, but his deposition is expected to indicate that he never asked for or voted a ballot that was counted in his name. The other person, Jovanka Blesich, invoked her constitutional right to not incriminate herself on Wednesday. Anderson presented utility records in June to an election panel apparently showing Blecish had lived in Crown Point when a ballot in her name was counted in May.
Anderson is focusing his investigation on the 10th Precinct, which is in the east side Novo Selo Neighborhood, a predominantly Serbian neighborhood.
Riga's attorney said the clearly fraudulent votes should be thrown out, but asked Bonaventura to not trash votes for petty reasons.
"If there are people who want their vote to be counted, it should be counted," Vann said.
Four of the voters -- mostly those who authorized family members to vote for them --- said they wanted their ballots to still be counted.
Bonaventura set aside Monday to wrap up the trial if it doesn't finish Friday.
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