10112003 - News Article - Grand jury continues focus on absentee voting - Ballots linked to 'Bosko' Grkinich being examined in Schererville case - ROBERT CANTRELL

Grand jury continues focus on absentee voting
Ballots linked to 'Bosko' Grkinich being examined in Schererville case
NWI Times
Oct 11, 2003
nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/grand-jury-continues-focus-on-absentee-voting/article_73fe0f51-8fa9-5fa1-b476-bdeb84128dd4.html
CROWN POINT -- A special Lake County grand jury investigating vote fraud maintained its focus on the Schererville Democratic primary.

Stojanka Jovanovic and Djuro Balac, of Schererville, were two of a dozen witnesses called Friday to appear before grand jurors examining absentee ballots cast May 6 for Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga.

The grand jury also continued for a second week to focus on allegations revolving around absentee ballots linked to Bob "Bosko" Grkinich, a Schererville businessman and Democratic committeeman of Schererville's heavily Serbian 10th Precinct.

Riga won the primary by 11 votes, but her nomination was reversed last month by a recount judge who declared challenger Kenneth Anderson the winner after disqualifying 23 absentee ballots in her name.

Anderson's lawyers alleged Grkinich was involved in the illegal possession of absentee ballots and the illegal assistance of absentee voters.

Grkinich took the Fifth Amendment on the advice of criminal defense lawyer Kevin Milner and refused to answer questions last month during the recount suit about his role in alleged vote fraud on grounds it might incriminate him.

The witnesses testimony before the grand jury is secret, but Jovanovich testified last month in open court as part of the recount suit that an absentee ballot cast in her name for Riga didn't arrive by mail as required by law.

Instead, Grkinich delivered it to her. She remembers signing it and giving it back to Grkinich, but not filling it out.

Balac also cast an absentee ballot for Riga, although Anderson's lawyers allege he didn't fill out the ballot alone or mail it to the county election board as required by law.

Balac said Friday he doesn't speak English well. He needed a Serbian translator when testifying in the recount suit and a translator also was present Friday to assist Balac before the grand jury. Critics complain ethnic residents with limited language skills often become victims of voting fraud schemes.

County Prosecutor Bernard Carter impaneled the grand jury in August to look into allegations of public corruption and vote fraud in Schererville, East Chicago and other communities.