01262006 - News Article - Former S'ville judge's trial may be postponed again - COURTS: Deborah Riga accused of fraud, racketeering - ROBERT CANTRELL

Former S'ville judge's trial may be postponed again
COURTS: Deborah Riga accused of fraud, racketeering
NWI Times
Jan 26, 2006
nwitimes.com/news/local/former-s-ville-judge-s-trial-may-be-postponed-again/article_03c3c45f-648c-5aee-92d4-71e54608b4ea.html
HAMMOND | The federal fraud and racketeering trial of a former Schererville town judge may be postponed again.

Deborah Riga was originally scheduled to appear for trial before U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon on Aug. 1 and was rescheduled for Nov. 7 and again for April 3. Her attorney last week requested the trial now be slated for sometime in or after September.

Riga pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraud and one count of racketeering on charges she duped more than 1,175 minor offenders who appeared before her in court by ordering them to attend counseling at a company she owned in the name of a family friend. Riga is accused of pocketing more than $30,000 in fees the offenders were required to pay for the counseling sessions.

The 20-page indictment -- handed down in August 2004 -- alleges Riga extorted money from another counseling service working for the court, cheated taxpayers out of rent 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's attorney, Nick Thiros, said he would be out of town in February, March and April for a long-planned vacation and that the trial date would not allow him the time he needs to prepare.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Orest Szewciw argued late last week that Thiros has had ample time to review discovery materials for the trial. Szewciw said the federal agents who investigated the case have been reassigned to different positions, with one scheduled to go to Washington, D.C., at the end of April and the other to Iraq in February and to New York in July.

Thiros' office filed a response, saying it would now be available for trial in the first three weeks of June.

U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Andrew Rodovich has yet to rule on the matter.