08252004 - News Article - Former Schererville judge indicted - ROBERT CANTRELL

Former Schererville judge indicted
Indiana Lawyer (Indianapolis, IN)
August 25, 2004
A former Schererville Town Court judge is facing federal extortion and mail fraud charges accused of illegally profiting from defensive driving courses and counseling services offered through the court.

An eight-count indictment was returned Aug. 5 against Deborah A. Riga, 47, Sarasota, Fla., by a federal grand jury sitting in Hammond.

Riga entered a plea of not guilty during her arraignment Aug. 9 before Magistrate Judge Andrew P. Rodovich. She is free on a $20,000 unsecured bond.

Her attorney, Nick J. Thiros of Merrillville, did not return calls seeking comment on the case.

Riga served as judge of Schererville Town Court from January 2000 to Dec. 31, 2003. Her victory over challenger Kenneth Anderson in the 2003 Democratic primary was overturned in September by a judge who threw out 23 fraudulent absentee votes. She has since moved to Florida.

The 20-page indictment claims Riga pocketed between $30,000 and $70,000 in a scheme that funneled funds from offenders who came before her to businesses she owned. Federal prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of any ill-gotten gains.

In October 2001, Riga established a business entity called Diversified Educational Services to replace Gibraltar Driving School in operating a defensive driving course offered through a Schererville Town Court deferral program, the indictment alleges.

People charged with minor traffic offenses in Schererville could take part in the deferral program, which required them to participate in the defensive driving school. Completion of the deferral program would allow the offenders to avoid conviction and the offense would not appear on their driving record.

Participants had to pay a $25 fee to the driving school in addition to a deferral fee of about $114.

To conceal her ownership of DES, Riga directed fees from participants at the driving school into a bank account in the name of an acquaintance, prosecutors claim.

According to the indictment, Riga increased the fee for the driving school to $30 in January 2002 and began letting DES use her courtroom for free rather than having the town charge rent at a rate of $250 per session as it had in the past.

"Between November 2001 and December 2003, approximately 1,000 individuals attended DES driving school and paid fees totaling approximately $29,600," the indictment states.

The judge hatched a similar scheme with a young offender program offered through the court, the charges allege.

Young adults, generally ages 18 to 22 who were charged in Schererville Town Court for the first time with consumption or possession of alcohol or marijuana, were ordered by Riga to participate in counseling. Upon completion of counseling and after a period of supervision, the charges would be dismissed through the program the judge called Crossroads.

A business known as Addiction and Family Care Inc. provided the counseling for the Crossroads program, until Riga assumed control. Riga instructed the owner of AFC to pay her father, Tony Riga, $500 per counseling session as a consultant, although her father provided no services to AFC or to Crossroads, according to the indictment.

Prosecutors say AFC's owner understood this demand to mean that payments had to be made to Tony Riga in order for the company to continue to receive business from the Schererville Town Court.

In January 2002, Riga assumed control of the Crossroads program, but continued to use an AFC employee as counselor of the program who would issue certificates to participants who completed the counseling, which bore the signature of AFC's owner, according to the indictment.

Payments to the Crossroads program were to be given to Riga or placed in the court safe, and she then would deposit those payments into the DES account, the charges claim.

About $14,320 in fees from 175 offenders was placed into the account between January 2002 and December 2003, prosecutors allege.

As with the defensive driving school, rent payments to the city ceased once Riga took over the Crossroads program, according to the indictment.

"Deborah A. Riga abused her position of public trust in a manner that significantly facilitated the commission and concealment of the offenses," the indictment states.

Under IC 35-44-1-3, a public servant cannot knowingly or intentionally have a pecuniary interest in or derive profit from a contract connected with an action by the governmental entity served by the public servant.

Canon 2 of the Code of Judicial Conduct requires judges to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety, while Canon 4D(1)(a) and (c) provide that a judge shall not engage in business dealings that might be perceived as exploiting the judge's position.

A joint task force consisting of the Indiana Attorney General's Office, the Lake County Prosecutor's Office, the FBI, the Indiana State Police, and the United States Attorney's Office investigated the case.

A status conference in the case is set for Nov. 14 before Judge Rodovich, at which time a trial date will be set.

08152004 - News Article - The systematic emasculation of the Lake County Democrats - ROBERT CANTRELL

The systematic emasculation of the Lake County Democrats
NWI Times
Aug 15, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/opinion/the-systematic-emasculation-of-the-lake-county-democrats/article_a23ccae1-1064-55c8-b9e0-4dd83c9b701a.html
INDIANAPOLIS -- Most folks in downstate Indiana don't realize the impact that events in the Northwest Indiana region can have on the rest of us. In the early 1980s, the near collapse of the steel industry in the region created such a budget crisis that Gov. Robert Orr had to call the legislature back into session in December 1982 to raise taxes.

Politically, Lake County has been the Democratic bulwark, giving Govs. Evan Bayh and Frank O'Bannon pluralities in the 75,000 to 100,000 vote range, offsetting Republican pluralities from Marion and the surrounding doughnut counties.

But things are changing in profoundly dramatic ways. Two weeks ago, Attorney General Steve Carter filed a civil lawsuit against East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick and 26 others, alleging the city's government is a criminal enterprise. Three days later, in a thunderous decision, the Indiana Supreme Court ordered a new election in East Chicago. It followed a narrow 2003 primary victory by Pastrick over George Pabey, who alleged rampant voter fraud.

Most noteworthy was the vote of Associate Justice Robert D. Rucker, an East Chicago native Pastrick helped get on the high court. Rucker voted with the majority.

"When as here an election is characterized by a widespread and pervasive pattern of deliberate conduct calculated to cast unlawful and deceptive ballots, the election results are inherently deceptive and unreliable," the court said in its ruling.

It was a stunning development on a day that also brought federal indictments of Pastrick confidante James H. Fife III and his wife, Karen Krahn-Fife, and former Schererville judge Deborah Riga.

What is occurring is the systematic emasculation of the Lake County Democratic machine on a five-pronged front, it's impact every bit as dramatic as Evan Bayh's political assault on the Indiana GOP machine in 1986-88.

There are these Republicans: U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen and, higher up in the U.S. Justice Department, Assistant Attorney General Deborah Daniels, who heads the Office of Justice Programs and is the sister of gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels. There is Attorney General Carter, a lowell native, who invoked RICO statutes against Pastrick. There is Secretary of State Todd Rokita, a Munster native, who orchestrated a voter file purge that resulted in 70,000 of 340,000 Lake County voter registration validation forms coming back as "undeliverable mail."

Candidate Daniels has been taking aim on the political and economic front. His message has been that Lake County will always have problems attracting good jobs until its corrupt government is rectified.

The list of associates of the Pastrick machine under indictment or investigation -- Fife, former Indiana Democratic Chairman Peter Manous, the mayor's son Kevin Pastrick -- represents a sea change in Lake County and Hoosier politics.

Last September, Pastrick attended Van Bokkelen's "Zero Tolerance of Public Corruption" seminar in Hammond, while at the same time, U.S. marshals fanned out to round up six East Chicago administration and council members involved in the $20 million 1999 sidewalk scandal prior to the primary.

Purdue University Calumet Professor Maurice Eisenstein told the Times of Northwest Indiana he believes the Lake County Democratic machine will slip by at least 15,000 votes this November. Eisenstein said voters might be dissatisfied over Lake County's recent political shenanigans as well as the length of time it took Kernan to propose a solution -- a 2 percent cap of a home's assessed value -- to stem some of the huge property tax hikes in northern Lake County.

"The state's also cleaning up voter rolls," he said. "It'll be much more difficult to pull the hanky-panky stuff."

Democratic stalwarts tend to see Van Bokkelen's efforts as credible, and those by Attorney General Carter, facing a challenge from Democrat Joe Hogsett, as grandstanding.

The irony is that it is the squeaky clean Kernan -- who originally dropped out of the governor's race in part, because of the power play that put the corrupt Manous in as state Democratic Party chairman -- who stands to pay the biggest political price from all the fallout.

Indiana Democrats were slow to cut their ties with the embattled Pastrick. On the night of Kernan's State of the State address, the party under Chairman Hogsett had the "Pastrick Reception" at the Skyline Club.

It's a tough call when to get out the 10-foot pole, particularly with someone like Pastrick.

While few realize the context, the assault on region corruption, the "Indianapolis Works" consolidation proposals by Mayor Bart Peterson, and Brent Waltz's defeat of 36-year Senate Finance Chairman Larry Borst, all signal dramatic changes in Hoosier politics -- all fascinating precursors to Nov. 2.

08142004 - News Article - Overview on NWI corruption

Overview on NWI corruption

Post-Tribune (IN)
August 14, 2004 

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East Chicago officials named by Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter in a civil racketeering lawsuit, where he says the city is "a corrupt enterprise:" 

Mayor Robert Pastrick 

James Fife, special assistant 

Timothy Raykovich, special assistant 

Kimberly K. Anderson, deputy controller 

George Weems, finance director and Board of Works president 

Frank Miskowski, Board of Works vice president 

* * * 

East Chicago officials who are allegedly tied to the 1999 sidewalks-for-votes scheme by federal investigators and who maintain their innocence: 

Frank Kollintzas , City Council president 

Joe De La Cruz, city councilman, former police department spokesman 

Adrian Santos, city councilman 

Edward Maldonado, city controller 

Jose "Joe" Valdez, Park Department superintendent 

Pedro Porras, city engineer 

Randall Artis, city councilman 

* * * 

Businesses named in Carter's civil R.I.C.O. suit: 

JGM Enterprises, owned by county councilman Joel Markovich 

Great Lakes Engineering LLC 

Rieth-Riley Construction 

A&A Enterprises 

Ace Enterprise 

A-1 Dave's Tree Service 

Calumet Concrete & Masonry 

B&S Construction 

D/S Commercial Equipment and Construction 

H&Y Maintenance 

Residential Construction Service 

Roger & Sons Construction 

TRI Inc. 

Windstorm Enterprises 

St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Co. (which didn't participate in the scheme, but is named because it provided bond insurance for some of the defendants) 

* * * 

Contractor under federal indictment who maintains his innocence in the sidewalk scheme: 

Terrance Artis, brother of Randall Artis and part-owner of A&A Enterprises 

* * * 

Official who has pleaded guilty for his role in the concrete-for-votes scheme: 

Joel Markovich, county councilman 

* * * 

Contractors who have pleaded guilty for their roles in the sidewalk scheme: 

Robert Velligan, owner of Calumet Concrete and Masonry 

Dimitrios "Jim" Sazalis, owner of D&S Construction 

Gregory Gill of Lowell, owner of H&Y Maintenance 

Marilyn Gill, wife of Gregory Gill, whose firm, H&Y Maintenance did work for the city. 

* * * 

East Chicago officials under federal indictment for accepting payment for security work they didn't perform: 

Ed Samuels, interim police chief now on paid leave 

Miguel Arredondo, building commissioner 

08132004 - News Article - New charges may be aimed at E.C. City Hall - EAST CHICAGO: U.S. attorney continues probes in Operation Restore Integrity - ROBERT CANTRELL

New charges may be aimed at E.C. City Hall
EAST CHICAGO: U.S. attorney continues probes in Operation Restore Integrity
NWI Times
Aug 13, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/local/new-charges-may-be-aimed-at-e-c-city-hall/article_9d942f18-78ca-500c-9eb0-9fe6945ec789.html
HAMMOND -- U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen is preparing public corruption charges he will announce today that reportedly center on East Chicago.

A source close to the investigation said multiple defendants will be named at a news conference in the federal courthouse.

While Mayor Robert Pastrick isn't accused of wrongdoing or expected to be indicted Friday, federal grand juries have hammered his circle of political allies and advisers, including former adviser James H. Fife III last week on tax fraud charges.

Interim East Chicago Police Chief Edward Samuels was charged last month in ghost-employment allegations that he billed an off-duty employer for security work he didn't perform and lied to the FBI and the U.S. District Bankruptcy Court about his income and gambling losses. Samuels is pleading not guilty.

Sources within the city Police Department complained afterward there were other high-ranking officers more deserving of punishment than Samuels for taking money for do-nothing security contracts within the city.

Seven other City Council members and department heads await trial on charges they colluded to provide free new sidewalks, driveways and tree-trimming to residents in return for their votes for the re-election of Pastrick and his allies in the 1999 Democratic primary. All are pleading not guilty.

There also is speculation Van Bokkelen may continue down a new path Operation Restore Public Integrity took last week with the indictment of Deborah Riga, a former Schererville Town Court judge.

Riga is pleading not guilty to charges she set up a driving school for traffic violators and a counseling service for teen offenders and then embezzled more than $30,000 in fees paid to attended the programs. State law and judicial canons forbid judges to profit from their courts beyond their fixed salaries.

Riga allegedly concealed the scheme by creating a company, Diversified Educational Service, and having her father, Anthony Riga, persuade a family friend to open a bank account under that name. She is accused of funneling program fees into that account and withdrawing it for living expenses and for her re-election campaign last year. Neither Anthony Riga nor the family friend was charged with wrongdoing.

She also is accused of extorting money from Nancy Fromm, president of Addiction and Family Care, a politically connected counseling service that does work for Schererville and a number of Lake County courts.

Fromm told authorities she was forced to pay Riga's father $2,000 under the guise of his being a consultant. Riga's father wasn't named in that indictment.

Fromm's appearance as a cooperating witness for the government has stirred talk she might provide evidence of other fraudulent activity. A source close to the investigation said the government has concluded she did nothing wrong in the Riga case.

08112004 - News Article - Mark Kiesling: Politicians play games, get played - ROBERT CANTRELL

Mark Kiesling: Politicians play games, get played
NWI Times
Aug 11, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/mark-kiesling/politicians-play-games-get-played/article_7ab7f97d-9366-5155-a136-46b4b666b2f1.html
I leave you and go on vacation for two weeks and look what happens.

East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick is called a thief in a report from Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter, his 2003 mayoral Democratic primary is tossed and ordered redone, longtime Pastrick crony James H. Fife III is indicted and so is former Judge Deborah Riga of Schererville, or East Chicago South.

To top off the string of amazing events, no one stole my Caprice while I was gone, but that's strictly personal.

Being that I was born in Chicago during the reign of Richard J. Daley and moved to Lake County when my father was transferred to the Whiting refinery in 1971 -- the same year Pastrick was elected mayor -- I cannot be shamed by allegations of shenanigans by my political officials.

What does make me sort of uneasy is Pastrick's righteous indignation at the idea that Carter, a Republican, may be timing his civil lawsuit against the mayor and 26 others in order to influence the November election.

Of course, we all know Pastrick would never use anything but the most scrupulously clean methods to win an election. Put the issues before the people and let the best candidate win, that's what he always said.

He would never use things like free sidewalks, patios, driveways, parking lots or pools to buy votes. He would never pack a county convention with rummies from a flophouse owned by a crony to vote himself county chairman again and again. And he certainly would never, ever use an underling to remind a thousand city workers who is responsible for their paychecks.

In short, unlike just about every other politician in America, Pastrick would never use politics to sway an election. Such a thing would be as shocking as discovering that gambling goes on in "Casablanca's" Rick's Cafe Americain.

It's like, well, handing out money to precinct captains on Election Day in order to buy all the democracy they can.

It's like an elected city judge using absentee ballots coerced from people who speak little or no English, who trusted one of their own countrymen when he came to their homes and asked them to mark the papers for a candidate they knew little or nothing about.

Let us in Lake County not stand here and take this Democrat-bashing from that Republican weasel Carter and the rest of his Indianapolis crew.

Reports said Riga blew town after her May victory over primary challenger Ken Anderson was overturned when it became apparent that precinct workers acting on her behalf swindled immigrants out of their votes.

It was probably a step up from the Old Country, where they didn't even have a vote to be swindled out of.

She moved to Sarasota, Fla., which houses a museum founded by the late circus magnate John Ringling, but I say if Riga wanted a circus, she should have stayed in Lake County.

As for me, I still have two more weeks of vacation, so look out.

08102004 - News Article - Riga and Fifes in federal court - RIGA; FIFE: Riga pleads not guilty to all charges, Fife, his wife to be arraigned Aug. 18 - ROBERT CANTRELL

Riga and Fifes in federal court
RIGA; FIFE: Riga pleads not guilty to all charges, Fife, his wife to be arraigned Aug. 18
NWI Times
Aug 10, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/riga-and-fifes-in-federal-court/article_18672644-6fe5-5a2a-8b50-b09b4412935a.html

Former Schererville Town Court Judge Deborah Riga and James H. Fife III, former special assistant to East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, were indicted on federal charges together Friday and, on Monday, shared the same attorney at their formal appearance in federal court.

Defense attorney Nick Thiros also filed his appearance for Fife's co-defendant, Karen Krahn-Fife, at the initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Andrew Rodovich in the Federal Courthouse in Hammond.

Fife, 47, and Krahn-Fife, 36, are charged with filing false income tax returns since 1998 resulting in a tax loss of about $325,000.

Rodovich questioned the husband and wife asking if they understood the possible conflict of having the same attorney. They assured him they understood.

They will remain free on a $20,000 unsecured bond and agreed to surrender their passports. The two will be arraigned Aug. 18.

When Thiros handed federal prosecutors papers, he razzed them about the indictment against Riga, 47.

"Who drafted this thing?" Thiros said. "I want to congratulate you on your imagination. It was very interesting reading."

Riga pleaded not guilty to charges she shook down more than 1,175 minor offenders who appeared in her court, ordering them to undergo counseling at a counseling service she owned in the name of a family friend.

Assistant federal attorneys Orest Szewciw and Wayne Ault told Rodovich the evidence in Riga's case is "voluminous" and agreed to his suggestion to extend the normal 30-day time limit for the defense to file pretrial motions. A status conference is scheduled for Nov. 4, at which time a trial date will be set.

Federal prosecutors said they will prove Riga pocketed more than $30,000 in fees the offenders were required to pay for the services.

Riga, who now lives in Sarasota, Fla., also is free on a $20,000 unsecured bond and will be allowed to continue living in Florida as her case winds its way through court. When asked to surrender her passport, Riga told Thiros hers no longer was valid.

Riga faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of seven fraud counts and 20 years on a racketeering count. The government also seeks forfeiture of all money illegally diverted.

The 20-page indictment alleges Riga also extorted money from a legitimate counseling service working for the town court, cheated taxpayers out of rent payments to the town, used public employees to help collect her illegal profits and cheated the state out of revenue she diverted to the town treasury to improve her image.

She was elected in 1999 to preside over the fourth-busiest municipal court in Lake County and rich source of revenue for the town and state from the fines and fees offenders pay the court.

Riga's alleged scheme unraveled last year after Kenneth Anderson challenged her in the spring Democratic primary. She initially won that election, but Anderson demanded a recount. His investigators found enough fraudulently cast absentee ballots to have him declared the winner.

In Friday's indictment announcement, U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen said five businesses, four of which were set up by Fife, and one by Krahn-Fife, allegedly served as the conduit for concealing their unreported income.

Fife, long viewed as a close ally of the Pastrick administration, has been spotted infrequently in the community ever since federal agents began to swarm Northwest Indiana.

Pastrick's clout once put Fife, a son of a prominent funeral home director, Freeman Fife, on the Gary Airport Board, the County Election Board and the city Water Department as attorney. Fife was a lobbyist to the School City of East Chicago and provided legal counsel to North Township Trustee Gregory Cvitkovich.

Fife held the title of special counsel to the mayor, even after his law license was suspended in 1997 for failure to meet continuing education requirements. He has been Democratic chairman of the state's 1st District and once served as the county Democratic Party treasurer.

08102004 - News Article - Schererville judge pleads not guilty to fed charges

Schererville judge pleads not guilty to fed charges

Post-Tribune (IN)
August 10, 2004

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Deborah Riga didn't need to have her rights in court explained to her. 

A former Schererville Town Court judge, Riga quietly entered a not-guilty plea Monday to federal criminal charges. 

Last Friday, the U.S. attorney's office announced that a grand jury indicted Riga, 47, on mail fraud and extortion charges stemming from her operation of Schererville's town court from 1999 through 2003. 

In federal court Monday, Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich set a $20,000 unsecured bond for Riga. 

That means she can return to Sarasota, Fla., where she lives now, without posting bond. 

A status conference on her case was scheduled for Nov. 4. 

Neither Riga nor her attorney, Nick Thiros, would comment on the case outside court. 

Thiros also came to court Monday with James Fife and his wife, Karen Krahn-Fife, whose indictments on federal tax-evasion charges were announced Friday. 

Fife is a former special assistant to East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick . 

Arraignments for Fife and Krahn-Fife were tentatively scheduled for Aug. 18. 

08102004 - News Article - Goat left to fend for self

Goat left to fend for self

Post-Tribune (IN) 

August 10, 2004

www.newsbank.com

A gray goat patrols 53rd Avenue in the front yard of a boarded-up, abandoned house. He has no food, water or shelter. And now no companion.

A younger goat-sheep hybrid, that shadowed him since caretakers left both animals unfenced and abandoned in March, wandered onto the busy avenue Friday and was hit by a car.

Caring neighbors moved the carcass to a side yard. Those same neighbors have brought nourishment such as corn, oats and buckets of water to the duo for five months. No animal control agency has been willing to permanently rescue the animals.

"I've made calls to the Hobart Humane Society. They can't do anything because it's livestock," a female neighbor who would only identify herself as Mrs. Watkins said.

"DNR bought out the older couple who used to live here. The couple took their cows, but left the two goats behind -- when it was still cold out. Now one's been hit by a car. It's a shame. He's lost his buddy and I don't want him to get hit too."

Carol Konpacki, Humane Society of Hobart director, said they can legally transport only dogs and cats in their vehicles.

Humane Society manager Connie Hollar said she will see if a Wheeler goat farmer will agree to take the animal. However, other rescues might soon be on the way.

Betty Clayton, director of the Humane Society of Northwest Indiana, hopes to rope the goat and use her SUV to transport him to Critter Crossing in Lake Zurich, Ill.

08082004 - News Article - Scandals concern, disappoint county officials - Politicians believe they'll be painted with same brush as Pastrick, Riga - ROBERT CANTRELL

Scandals concern, disappoint county officials
Politicians believe they'll be painted with same brush as Pastrick, Riga
NWI Times
Aug 8, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/scandals-concern-disappoint-county-officials/article_7912fdeb-c0a7-5966-995e-44b03440e075.html
CROWN POINT -- Lake County officials expressed disappointment and concern Friday after this week's storm of scandals swirling around East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick and former Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga.

On Friday, the Indiana Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling and ordered a special election to replace the May 2003 Democratic Primary between Pastrick and George Pabey.

The ruling followed Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter's announcement Tuesday that he is suing Pastrick's administration to recoup millions of public dollars allegedly stolen through a "corrupt enterprise used for personal gain by the mayor and others."

Riga has been accused of misusing money while she was a judge.

"Overall, I feel relentless depression," said County Surveyor George Van Til, a Democrat. "All the things together are disappointing.

"As for East Chicago, I have for decades had a problem with their politics and have hoped for change. The incredible arrogance of those people and their system seems to have hit many bumps in the road these days.

"My continuing concern is that people put all of us in the same sinking boat when, in fact, I know some of us are public servants. My major concern is that everyone gets lumped together. I hope people are discriminating in that respect.

"It's sad to see this happening," Lake County Treasurer Peggy Holinga Katona. "I'm shocked. It's gotten out of control."

Lake County Councilman Larry Blanchard, R-Crown Point, agreed.

"It's sad in a way, because it gives a bad name to all officials in Lake County," he said.

County Councilman Thomas O'Donnell D-Dyer, agreed officeholders will be painted with the same broad brush of allegations of wrongdoing. He also questioned the timing of Carter's announcement, since it is only three months before the election and Carter has been in office for three years.

"I don't want to think that the chief law enforcement officer of the state is concerned with politics," he said.

Blanchard said the good news is that once the courts make their decisions in regard to the indictments, and if those officials are found guilty, then justice will be served.

Katona said she hopes voters don't make broad generalities and believe all politicians are corrupt.

"You don't want to eliminate a legitimate vote. People who are honest will be honest. I don't care if you live in lake County or where you live. You'll have honest people and others," she said.

"I don't think it will change," Van Til said, alluding to the impression the rest of the state has about Northwest Indiana. "I think they have a negative opinion of us anyway."

08072004 - News Article - Some worry corruption moving south from EC - Schererville politics suffers blow with indictment of former town judge Riga - ROBERT CANTRELL

Some worry corruption moving south from EC
Schererville politics suffers blow with indictment of former town judge Riga
NWI Times
Aug 7, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/local/some-worry-corruption-moving-south-from-ec/article_b63f9f19-c93a-59ed-b6c1-b5fd33d499a9.html
From Hammond to Crown Point, residents worry aloud about the encroachment of "East Chicago politics" -- that is, corrupt politics -- into their borders.

On Friday, residents of Schererville got their strongest hint to date it's already there.

The indictment of former Town Judge Deborah Riga on charges she committed mail fraud and extortion during her tenure surprised some residents who consider the fast-growing town a refuge from the chicanery associated with the county's northern cities.

Over at Town Hall, Riga supporter Art Schweitzer could hardly believe the news.

Standing in the hall's historical room, the president of the town's historical society flipped through pictures of Deborah Riga meeting with school children. The judge liked to describe how trials work to young students, Schweitzer said.

"She showed the children things that will happen if they get in the wrong," he said. "If you asked me what did I think of her, I thought -- and think -- the world of her. ... The stories I keep hearing around is, isn't it a shame that such a nice lady got tied up in politics?"

Not everyone thinks Riga was so innocent.

Frank Martinez, who campaigned for Riga's opponent and eventual successor, Kenneth Anderson, said the May primary represented a turning point for Schererville.

"Everyone who worked on this campaign said, 'we're not going to allow these shenanigans that have gone on in other communities to go on in Schererville.' That's not going to happen in this community," said Martinez, a Highland attorney.

But the indictment likely won't have a lasting effect on the town, said Dana Vozar, executive director of the Schererville Chamber of Commerce.

"Just because one person is being indicted doesn't mean that Schererville is now not a good place to live -- that doesn't mean anything," she said.

"This is just one person, and we don't even know if she's guilty or innocent. It's just a rumor right now."

But it might not be the last "rumor" they hear. The town will continue to be a destination for residents who flee North Lake County cities, Schweitzer said.

"Schererville has always had that (stigma) for the reason that the people came out here from Hammond and East Chicago, and they used their influence. And some of their influences were East Chicago politics," he said.

"So when they refer to Judge Riga, that's what would be said -- that's just East Chicago politics."

08072004 - News Article - Indictment says Riga ruled over crime ring from court - ROBERT CANTRELL

Indictment says Riga ruled over crime ring from court
NWI Times
Aug 7, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/local/indictment-says-riga-ruled-over-crime-ring-from-court/article_2542b002-26ab-5e0b-aee3-1b64e21dd5f0.html
SCHERERVILLE -- A federal grand jury charged former Town Court Judge Deborah Riga with dispensing fraud and extortion rather than justice.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen said Friday Riga shook down more than 1,175 minor offenders who appeared in her court, ordering them into counseling following their arrests on traffic, substance abuse and domestic problems.

"She deprived the town of honest services," Van Bokkelen said.

A task force of state police and FBI agents collected evidence they said will prove Riga pocketed more than $30,000 in fees she ordered offenders to pay to a counseling service she owned in the name of a family friend -- in violation of state law and the canons of judicial ethics.

A 20-page indictment alleges Riga also extorted money from a legitimate counseling service working for the town court, cheated taxpayers out of rent payments to the town, used public employees to help collect her illegal profits and cheated the state out of revenue she diverted to the town treasury to improve her image.

Riga faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison on each of seven fraud counts and 20 years on a racketeering count. The government also seeks forfeiture of all money illegally diverted.

Riga, 47, who moved to Sarasota, Fla., following her defeat in the vote fraud-tainted 2003 Democratic primary, couldn't be reached Friday for comment. U.S. District Court Magistrate Andrew Rodovich issued a warrant Friday for her arrest.

She graduated from Valparaiso University's Law School and became a lawyer in 1993. She served as a deputy county prosecutor, a public defender and a law professor at Indiana University Northwest.

She was elected in 1999 to preside over the fourth busiest municipal court in Lake County and a rich source of revenue for the town and state from the fines and fees offenders pay the court.

She opened a driving school and a counseling program called Crossroads for young offenders who wanted to avoid unwanted convictions, points on their driving record or other punishments by participating in the programs and paying fees of up to $139 per person.

She said the programs were designed to direct offenders to a more law-abiding life. They were successfully run at first by a series of private businesses, including Nancy Fromm's Addiction and Family Care of Hammond. They paid the town hundreds of dollars in rent to have their meetings in town facilities.

The indictment alleges Riga began muscling the legitimate businesses out in October 2001 and assumed control of the programs to steal their revenue.

It alleges she and her father, Anthony "Tony" Riga concealed the takeover by turning them over to a business entity she created, Diversified Educational Service. It alleges she paid Winslow "Jake" Stephic, a friend of her father, $3,800 to open a bank account under that company name.

Neither man is charged with any wrongdoing. Neither could be reached Friday for comment.

Prosecutors allege she ordered about 1,000 defendants to pay $29,600 in fees to her traffic school and another 175 families to pay $14,320 to Crossroads between November 2001 and December 2003. It alleges she withdrew most of that from the corporate account for her living expenses and re-election campaign last year.

She allegedly maximized her illicit profits by stopping thousands of dollars in rent to the town and using town employees to operate the program at taxpayer expense.

The indictment alleges Riga kept Fromm's counseling firm working for the court, but extorted $2,000 from Fromm with the threat of canceling her lucrative contract to counsel town defendants. Fromm said she paid the money in checks to Riga's father, who was listed as a consultant, but in fact did nothing for Fromm.

Fromm couldn't be reached Friday for comment. A source close to her said Fromm is a cooperating witness for the government and her firm has been cleared of wrongdoing in the case.

The indictment alleges Riga illegally altered traffic ticket offenses to make her court appear to generate more revenue for the town. It alleges she changed tickets written for offenses on state highways, where fines were paid to the state, to violations on town roads, where fines stayed in town.

Riga's scheme unraveled last year after Kenneth Anderson challenged her in the spring Democratic primary. She initially won that election, but Anderson demanded a recount. His investigators found enough fraudulently cast absentee ballots to have him declared the winner.

Anderson began cooperating with the task force in January upon taking office. He said he has closed down the illegal operations.

08072004 - News Article - Extortion charges hit ex-judge - ROBERT CANTRELL

Extortion charges hit ex-judge
Journal Gazette, The (Fort Wayne, IN)
August 7, 2004
A former Schererville judge was indicted Friday on extortion charges alleging that she pocketed more than $30,000 in fees she ordered paid to a counseling service she owned.

The federal grand jury that indicted former Schererville tax court judge Deborah A. Riga said that her court dispensed fraud and extortion, rather than justice.

Hundreds of minor offenders who appeared in Riga's court to receive counseling for traffic and substance abuse violations were in fact being shaken down, U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen said Friday.

Bokkelen, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter and Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said a task force of state police and FBI agents discovered evidence Riga that pocketed more than $30,000 in traffic school and counseling fees.

She allegedly ordered the fees paid to a counseling service she owned, violating state law and canons of judicial ethics. A 20-page indictment alleges Riga also extorted $2,000 from Nancy Fromm, president of Addiction and Family Care.

Fromm told investigators Riga would have canceled Addiction and Family Care's lucrative contract to provide counseling to other town court defendants if she hadn't paid the bribes.

Also indicted Friday was James H. Fife, who faces four counts of tax fraud for hiding income that would have resulted in the payment of $325,000 in taxes. Van Bokkelen said Fife hid his income from East Chicago to avoid paying those taxes. His wife, Karen H. Krahn, has been indicted on two counts of tax fraud.

08072004 - News Article - Judge Riga indicted on charges of corruption - Former E.C. official James Fife, wife also face federal charges of tax evasion

Judge Riga indicted on charges of corruption 
Former E.C. official James Fife, wife also face federal charges of tax evasion

Post-Tribune (IN)
August 7, 2004

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Federal mail fraud and extortion charges were filed against former Schererville Town Judge Deborah A. Riga, U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen announced Friday. 

And, Van Bokkelen released the indictment of James H. Fife, a former high-ranking official in East Chicago, and his wife on a tax-evasion charge. 

For Riga, the eight-count indictment paints a picture of a judge using her courtroom for her personal gain. 

Federal officials say Riga, 47, extorted payments from Nancy Fromm, owner of Crossroads, a counseling service for drug and alcohol offenders operating in her court. 

Riga was Schererville town judge until a Superior Court judge overturned her re-election in 2003, on charges of vote fraud. 

Neither Riga nor her attorney, Nick Thiros, could be reached for comment. 

According to court documents, between July 2001 and January 2002, Riga ordered Fromm to pay her father, Tony Riga, $500 a session as a consultant. He was paid at least four times but never worked for Crossroads. 

In October 2001, Riga replaced the court-ordered driving school Gibraltar with a company run by her father and secretly owned by the judge. The money for the school was funneled through an account opened by Winslo Stephic on her behalf. 

The schemes netted at least $30,000, according to Van Bokkelen. Riga moved to Sarasota, Fla., after leaving office at the end of 2003. A source close to the case said she is expected to surrender herself to federal authorities in Hammond on Monday. 

Schererville Councilman Steve Kil said he wouldn't want people to see this indictment as a blanket indictment of the town. "This was isolated to one individual. The action of an individual doesn't dictate what's happening in the community," Kil said. 

Council member Hal Slager said, "I just think it's unfortunate that our town is connected to this kind of indictment. Our constituents elect us with faith to look out for the public trust. This gives them concern about who they are electing." 

Riga's re-election, where she won by 11 votes, was overturned after her challenger Kenneth Anderson presented evidence of 22 fraudulent votes. Then, her re-election became the target of a joint task force investigation run by Attorney General Steve Carter and Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter. 

The two conducted a grand jury investigation into voter fraud in Lake County and indicted Robert "Bosko" Grkinich for his alleged role in soliciting those fraudulent votes. 

Van Bokkelen joined the task force in January. The indictment of Riga was the first indictment stemming from the three-pronged task force. 

"The people need to know it doesn't have to be this way," Van Bokkelen said. 

He said there could be more indictments from the Schererville court but declined to go into any detail. 

Anderson couldn't be reached for comment. 

Overall, Van Bokkelen hinted that the federal task force plans to step up its prosecution of vote fraud and public corruption cases by releasing indictments in the coming weeks. 

"This is definitely only the beginning," he said. 

Along with Riga, the U.S. attorney added to the number of East Chicago officials under indictment. Fife, a former high ranking official in the Pastrick administration, was indicted on six courts of federal income tax evasion, from incidents ranging from 1999 to 2001. 

Fife, 47, and his wife Karen L. Krahn-Fife, 36, both of Munster, were charged with misrepresenting a total of $326,000 in tax losses from four businesses, and more than $10,000 of income. 

During a news conference Friday, federal officials remained cagey about Fife's involvement, refusing even to name the four companies that reported the losses. Krahn had been listed as the incorporator on some of the businesses. 

They did receive city contracts while Fife was special assistant to East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick , said Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Kirsch. 

The charges were compiled by the Internal Revenue Service, he said. 

East Chicago public information officer Myrna Maldonado said she could not comment on the indictments or name the companies. 

"Jim Fife has not worked for the city since 2002," she said. 

Earlier this week, Fife was named as one of the unindicted co-conspirators along with Pastrick , and current special assistant to the mayor Tim Raykovich in the so-called "Sidewalk Six" paving scandal. The three were named in a federal civil racketeering suit brought by the state attorney general. 

With the charges announced Friday against Fife, a total of eight current or former city officials now are under federal indictment. 

Reporter Steve Walsh can be reached at 648-3120 or swalsh@post-trib.com. 

Reporter Sharlonda Waterhouse contributed to this report. 

Riga is charged with renaming certain state traffic violations as violations of town ordinances, allowing the town to keep a larger portion of the fines and making her court appear more profitable, according to the indictment. 

USED IN PULLOUT ON FRONT. ORIGINALLY WENT IN FRONT OF GRAPH READING -- Schererville councilman Steve Kil said he wouldn't want people to see this indictment as a blanket indictment of the town. 

Deborah Riga 

Charged with renaming certain state traffic violations as violations of town ordinances, allowing the town to keep a larger portion of the fines and making her court appear more profitable, according to a federal indictment. 

08062004 - News Article - U.S. Attorney General indicts three more

U.S. Attorney General indicts three more
NWI Times
Aug 6, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/local/u-s-attorney-general-indicts-three-more/article_150cb8e2-bb55-556f-aacf-428f0f3314c1.html
SCHERERVILLE -- U.S. Attorney General Joseph Van Bokkelen today indicted two prominent people on criminal charges. Former Schererville Town Court Judge Deborah Riga was charged with extortion. James H. Fife has been indicted on four counts of tax fraud for hiding income that would have resulted in the payment of $325,000 in taxes.

According to Van Bokkelen, Fife hid his income from East Chicago to avoid paying those taxes. His wife Karen H. Krahn has been indicted on two counts of tax fraud.

A federal grand jury says former judge Deborah A. Riga dispensed fraud and extortion rather than justice from her town court.

Hundreds of minor offenders who appeared before who thought they were coming to her court to receive counseling for traffic and substance abuse violations where in fact being shaken down, U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen said Friday at a press conference.

He, Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter and Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter said a task force of state police and FBI agents discovered evidence Riga pocketed more than $30,000 in traffic school and counseling fees she ordered paid to a counseling service she owned, in violation of state law and canons of judicial ethics.

A 20-page indictment alleges Riga also extorted $2,000 from Nancy Fromm, president of Addiction and Family Care. Fromm told investigators Riga would have canceled Addiction and Family Care's lucrative contract to provide counseling to other town court defendants if she hadn't paid the bribes.

Fromm couldn't be reached Friday for comment. A source close to her said Fromm is a cooperating witness for the government and her firm has been cleared of wrongdoing involving the town court.

08062004 - News Article - Audit provides ammunition for Schererville court probe - State officials ask former Town Judge Deborah Riga to repay $4,770 - ROBERT CANTRELL

Audit provides ammunition for Schererville court probe
State officials ask former Town Judge Deborah Riga to repay $4,770
NWI Times
Aug 6, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/local/audit-provides-ammunition-for-schererville-court-probe/article_085f1bf0-b193-5749-86d1-f6430e572c44.html
SCHERERVILLE -- New allegations of wrongdoing may be fueling the work of a state and federal task force investigating former Town Court Judge Deborah Riga's administration.

Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter's spokeswoman confirmed he has turned a State Board of Accounts audit of Riga's last year in office over to the task force. It alleges a number of questionable practices and calls for Riga to reimburse the state nearly $2,500.

A part of the audit focuses on Riga's dealings with Addiction and Family Care, a Hammond counseling service connected to political figures Nancy Fromm and Robert Cantrell.

There was speculation Thursday that federal indictments to be announced today might be aimed at the town, as well as East Chicago or Gary.

The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment on who would be indicted.

Riga couldn't be reached Thursday for comment.

Schererville Town Judge Kenneth Anderson, who defeated Riga last year and also has been cooperating with the task force, said Thursday he was not aware of any impending indictments.

Anderson said task force investigators late last month were still carrying away boxes of court documents involving Riga's administration.

The State Board of Accounts is asking Riga to repay Schererville for $1,520 in tax money it alleges she improperly paid to court employees over several days they worked for a private business called Crossroads.

The audit says, "Upon further inquiry of court personnel, it was discovered that Crossroads, also known as DES (Diversified Educational Services) or AFC (Addiction and Family Care) is a young offender program that the court orders defendants to attend." Those who did and paid their fees received certificates of completion bearing the signatures of either Riga or Nancy Fromm.

Fromm, who runs Addiction and Family Care, is a Democratic precinct committeewoman in Hammond.

She employs Cantrell as a consultant to steer government business to her. Together, they have won hundreds of thousands of dollars in business from a number of local courts and law enforcement agencies.

Neither Fromm nor Addiction and Family Care are accused of any wrongdoing in the audit. Fromm reportedly was out of town Thursday and couldn't be reached for comment.

The state is asking Riga to reimburse the town another $750 in cash that disappeared after someone posted bond on Nov. 23, 2003, at the town's police station.

The audit reports the bond amount was short $100 when it later reached the court. Instead of depositing the remaining $650 in the bank, it was placed in the court administrator's safe "and subsequently disappeared."

The report said she failed to assess the proper court fees from offenders, denying the state tens of thousand of dollars in revenue. The audit said Riga failed to buy a $5,000 bond. State law requires such performance bonds of officials and employees who handle public money so it can be seized in case of financial wrongdoing.

Riga's court made multiple purchases of between $1,000 and $1,500 from the same town vendor on the same date or week in an apparent effort to "subvert the town's purchasing policy," which requires approval by the town manager, town clerk's office and three Town Board members for any purchase of more than $1,500, the audit says.

Charles Johnson, who heads the State Board of Accounts, said last week his agency sent the audit to Riga by certified mail last spring, but still haven't received a reply from her.

Schererville Clerk-Treasurer Janice Malinowski and Town Manger Richard Krame were critical of Riga for refusing to communicate with them about the financial troubles mentioned in the audit. They wrote in a joint letter to the state, "(Riga) apparently did not or could not comply with lawful requirements and procedures."

Anderson said he closed Crossroads and other programs involving Fromm and Cantrell.

"We have done everything we can to understand where mistakes were made in the past and resolve those," he said.

08062004 - News Article - More officials in federal cross hairs - PUBLIC CORRUPTION: U.S. attorney's office plans to announce at least two indictments today in corruption probe - ROBERT CANTRELL

More officials in federal cross hairs
PUBLIC CORRUPTION: U.S. attorney's office plans to announce at least two indictments today in corruption probe
NWI Times
Aug 6, 2004
nwitimes.com/news/state-and-regional/more-officials-in-federal-cross-hairs/article_878733a2-a308-5598-9bc4-fe4d88d6fbb4.html
HAMMOND -- Northwest Indiana's political community was bracing today for another body blow.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen announced Thursday he will hold a press conference this morning to announce at least two new indictments in connection with his continuing investigation into public corruption -- Operation Restore Public Integrity.

His office declined comment Thursday on speculation the indictments could be aimed at East Chicago, Gary or Schererville.

Investigators for Operation Restore Public integrity have been conducting extensive probes of financial impropriety, vote stealing and fraud in those communities.

The announcement comes on the heels of Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter's racketeering lawsuit aimed at removing East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick and his administration from office and recovering millions of public dollars allegedly spent in 1999 in an illegal scheme to win re-election for Pastrick.

There has been speculation, denied by both Carter and the U.S. attorney's office, that the lawsuit and the upcoming indictments were part of a package aimed at Pastrick.

Pastrick isn't charged with any criminal wrongdoing, but seven of his allies are awaiting trial on criminal conspiracy charges arising from the alleged sidewalks-for-votes scandal. They have pleaded not guilty and are awaiting trial.

Federal grand juries have indicted more than two dozen elected officials and political figures on a variety of fraud-related charges since Van Bokkelen took office three years ago.

He has won the convictions of about half, including former Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Peter Manous; Kevin Pastrick, son of East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick; Peter Benjamin, a former county auditor and assessor; Troy Montgomery, a former Lake County Council president; former Gary City Clerk Katie Hall; and Junifer Hall, a former deputy clerk in her mother Katie Hall's office.

Federal authorities also have spent months investigating allegations of ghost employment -- paying for work not performed -- and manipulation of tax records in North Township.

They also have investigated allegations of political favoritism by the city of Gary in the awarding of waste hauling contracts.

Federal grand juries have charged three Gary city hall executives and a businessman, Otho Lyles III, on charges of lying to FBI agents about the contracts. Lyles has pleaded guilty to the charge and is cooperating with authorities. The other three are pleading not guilty.

08062004 - News Article - Key indictments expected today - News conference could announce latest work of vote fraud task force

Key indictments expected today 
News conference could announce latest work of vote fraud task force 

Post-Tribune (IN)
August 6, 2004

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The first indictments in a joint county, state and federal voter fraud task force are expected today. 

U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen has called a news conference with Indiana Attorney General Steve Carter and Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter to unveil the latest round of indictments. They will make the announcement at the federal courthouse in downtown Hammond. 

The two Carters formed their own task force in 2003, after a contentious primary season that included charges of fraud and corruption in the Democratic primaries for Schererville town judge and East Chicago mayor . 

The narrow victory of incumbent Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga was overturned by a county judge. Former East Chicago City Councilman George Pabey continues to contest the re-election of Mayor Robert Pastrick . The case awaits a decision of the Indiana Supreme Court. 

Before the state grand jury was suspended in favor of federal probe, investigators were looking at electioneering within the Serbian-American community in Schererville, including the manipulation of absentee ballots in the judge race. 

The investigation resulted in a 10-count state grand jury indictment of Robert "Bosko" Grkinich of Schererville for alleged voter fraud in his town's primary. 

A host of East Chicago election fraud charges were documented in July 2003 as part of a landmark ruling by Special Judge Steve E. King in Pabey vs. Pastrick . 

Initially, VanBokkelen had said been publicly reluctant to add the 2003 Lake County elections to a long list of fraud and corruption cases being investigated by a federal grand jury impaneled in 2002, in what his office has dubbed Operation Restore Public Integrity. 

Then in January, he and the two Carters held news conference to announce a unified effort. Two weeks later, federal investigators began questioning officials in North Township, including political power broker Robert Cantrell. 

Prior to the May primary, Woodrow "Pete" Rancifer and Dorothy Johnson, both township poor relief recipients, told the Lake County Elections and Registration Board that Cantrell paid them to enter the East Chicago city clerk race. 

Though Cantrell is not expected to be indicted today, in recent weeks agents for the task force have interviewed the staff in North Township about Cantrell's role in the elections and in the township's East Chicago office. 

The staff members testified in the Pabey case that Cantrell boasted of providing fraudulent absentee votes in the primary and also testified they saw him perform little or no work for his township salary of $38,844. 

While today is expected to bring the first round of charges in the three-pronged task force, the attorney general may have upstaged the event Tuesday, when he announced that he will bring civil racketeering charges against Pastrick and 26 other defendants in East Chicago. 

This was the first time Pastrick had been personally linked to the long list of probes that swirl around the decaying steel town. Prior to the case based on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the long-time mayor of East Chicago had remained an unnamed, unindicted co-conspirator in the criminal probe of a 1999 concrete-for-votes scandal that has led to the criminal indictment of 12 people, including several high ranking city officials. 

Operation Restore Public Integrity includes continued investigation into the sidewalk scheme. 

08042004 - News Article - Update: Status of 12 people tied by federal investigators to East Chicago's 1999 $20 million paving program

Update: Status of 12 people tied by federal investigators to East Chicago's 1999 $20 million paving program

Post-Tribune (IN)
August 4, 2004 

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In East Chicago's 1999 $20 million paving program, city officials allegedly authorized the paving of driveways, patios and sidewalks in exchange for votes in the Democratic mayoral primary. The status of 12 people tied by federal investigators to the program follows: 

Those who maintain their innocence 

Frank Kollintzas City Council president 

Accused of being part of the scheme to use public money for paving on private property of Mayor Pastrick's supporters; also, lying to federal investigators. 

Trial scheduled for Oct. 4. 

Joe De La Cruz 

City councilman, former police department spokesman 

Accused of being part of the scheme to use public money for paving on private property of Mayor Pastrick's supporters; also, lying to federal investigators. 

Trial scheduled for Oct. 4. 

Adrian Santos 

City councilman 

Accused of being part of the scheme to use public money for paving on private property of Mayor Pastrick's supporters; also, lying to federal investigators. 

Trial scheduled for Oct. 4. 

Edward Maldonado 

City controller 

Accused of being part of the scheme to use public money for paving on private property of Mayor Pastrick's supporters. 

Trial scheduled for Oct. 4. 

Jose "Joe" Valdez 

Park Department superintendent 

Accused of being part of the scheme to use public money for paving on private property of Mayor Pastrick's supporters. 

Trial scheduled for Oct. 4. 

Pedro Porras 

City engineer 

Accused of being part of the scheme to use public money for paving on private property of Mayor Pastrick's supporters; also, lying to a grand jury and perjury. 

Trial scheduled for Oct. 4 

Randall Artis 

City councilman 

Accused of soliciting, directing 

and authorizing contractors and subcontractors for the concrete and tree-trimming work. 

Trial scheduled for Dec. 7. 

Terrance Artis 

Brother of Randall Artis and part-owner of A&A Enterprises 

Accused of receiving more than $1 million in no-bid contracts to pour concrete at the city's expense 

Trial set for Dec. 7. 

Those who've pleaded guilty: 

Robert Velligan 

Owner of Calumet Concrete and Masonry 

His firm performed concrete work. 

Pleaded guilty to under-reporting his income for 1999 and 2000 by more than $160,000. 

Sentencing set for Oct. 7. 

Dimitrios "Jim" Sazalis 

Owner of D&S Construction 

His firm was established to take advantage of paving work he could get from the city. 

Pleaded guilty to doing illegal paving work for the city. 

Sentencing set for Oct. 25. 

Gregory Gill of Lowell 

Owner of H&Y Maintenance 

His now-defunct firm poured concrete and removed trees for the city. Pleaded guilty to bankruptcy fraud and making false declarations on a tax return. 

Sentencing set for Sept. 10. 

Marilyn Gill 

Wife of Gregory Gill, whose firm, H&Y Mainten-ance did work for the city. 

Accused of overbilling the city $300,000 for removal of trees that didn't exist. 

Pleaded guilty to one count of bankruptcy fraud.Sentenced to one year of supervised probation.