05312008 - News Article - Cantrell trial centers on questionable contracts for firm - ROBERT CANTRELL

Cantrell trial centers on questionable contracts for firm
NWI Times
May 31, 2008
nwitimes.com/news/local/cantrell-trial-centers-on-questionable-contracts-for-firm/article_592b2466-e12b-56af-ad76-3b12f2e8ca69.html
HAMMOND | In a classic courtroom betrayal by a crony-turned-government-witness, Nancy Fromm on Friday described political fixer Robert Cantrell at the height of greed and paranoia.

In 2003, with the feds on their trail and literally stacks of cash in the backroom office, Fromm said she and Cantrell would grab for themselves pocketfuls of the money that had been collected from addicts attending counseling.

"We didn't talk in the office. He would just point to the drawer, and I would give him the cash," Fromm said. "He thought (investigators) had put bugs in, and I did, too."

But why should anyone believe anything Fromm says? Defense attorney Kevin Milner got Fromm to admit in cross-examination she was a liar and a thief who often blamed others for her own misfortune.

Fromm also has great motive to lie, because she's an admitted felon who is hoping to avoid jail time by cooperating with federal prosecutors in the case against Cantrell.

Fromm, 67, is owner of Addiction and Family Care Inc., a counseling firm that paid Cantrell hundreds of thousands of dollars for using his political connections to "get business" for the firm between 1999 and 2005.

Primarily, the business consisted of court-ordered drug and alcohol therapy and anger management classes for criminal offenders who were sent to AFC by judges who were friends of Cantrell, Fromm said.

The firm also provided educational classes and counseling to public employees in North Township, which also was Cantrell's employer at the time -- between 2000 and 2005.

Cantrell admits receiving some money from AFC. But one key question for the jury will be whether Cantrell received any money that related directly to the North Township work because that would be an illegal conflict of interests. He denies it.

Fromm and Cantrell were once very tight because so much of her revenue depended on him -- revenue she was secretly skimming for herself.

She even lied to investigators to protect Cantrell, although she also was lying to him at the same time about her true income and whether she had shredded incriminating records.

On Friday, she said she decided to come clean.

She said Cantrell got business for her firm using political influence with Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez; North Township Trustee Greg Cvitkovich; County Commissioners Rudy Clay and Gerry Scheub; Lake Superior Court Judges Nicholas Schiralli, Sheila Moss and Jesse Villalpando; East Chicago Judge Eduardo Fontanez; Lake Station Judge Kris Kantar; Schererville Town Judge Deb Riga; and Kevin Pastrick, son of East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick.

Cantrell received nearly half of the money from clients referred to her through contracts approved by all of those officials, Fromm said.

05312008 - News Article - Intricate political web unravels at Cantrell trial - ROBERT CANTRELL

Intricate political web unravels at Cantrell trial
Post-Tribune (IN)
May 31, 2008
Jurors in the trial of political kingmaker Robert Cantrell on Friday got a crash course on how to win friends and influence government contracting Friday, the fourth day of the corruption trial of the legendary political fixer.

In her second day on the witness stand, prosecution witness Nancy Fromm laid out the web of political connections that were the lifeblood of her counseling service, with Cantrell brokering dozens of contracts for her Addiction & Family Care.

Cantrell's handwritten notes were quickly added to contracts with his close friends, North Township Trustee's office, the East Chicago City Court and City Hall. He negotiated fees and smoothed over political rifts, then kept nearly half the company's fees and split another $300,000 in off-the-books cash with Fromm over six years.

"The truth is, I never really looked at these (contracts)," Fromm told Assistant U.S. Attorney Orest Szewciw. "I signed them and trusted Mr. Cantrell to do the negotiating."

At Cantrell's advice, Fromm said, she burned some records and hid others from the FBI, and lied to State Police investigators to protect their booming business when a contract with indicted Schererville Town Judge Deborah Riga came under scrutiny. Initially, she tried to cover up for Cantrell when his full-time employer, North Township Trustee Greg Cvitkovich, was brought up on federal charges.

Fromm would eventually fail her political godfather, first by not taking his advice and destroying other incriminating records, and then by agreeing to testify against him after federal prosecutors charged her with obstruction of justice and tax fraud.

Thanks to the many off-the-books transactions and missing records, Fromm's statements are prosecutors' best evidence in the case against Cantrell, who faces an 11-count indictment alleging he violated state ethics laws by not disclosing the thousands he earned from AFC while he was also on the township payroll.

Defense attorney Kevin Milner painted Fromm as willing to lie not just to investigators, but to her business partner. Fromm, who faces as long as 13 years in prison, had no records to show if Cantrell received cash, and she admitted altering business records so that she would have to share less of her take with Cantrell.

Fromm testified that at Cantrell's request, she paid his son, John, for a no-show consulting job and falsified insurance forms to put John and Cantrell's daughter, Jennifer, on AFC's group insurance plan.

But, Milner pointed out, Cantrell also insisted he protect his daughter Julie, a Lake County judge, by not accepting any share of the nearly $600,000 AFC collected for counseling services for defendants in her court.

"Didn't you think it was odd he went to such lengths to protect his daughter Julie and hung his son John out to dry?" Milner asked.

The trial, scheduled to take as long as three weeks, will resume Monday with Fromm still on the stand.

05302008 - News Article - Inactions speak louder than words - Why wasn't John Cantrell indicted? - ROBERT CANTRELL

Inactions speak louder than words
Why wasn't John Cantrell indicted?
NWI Times
May 30, 2008
nwitimes.com/news/opinion/columnists/mark-kiesling/inactions-speak-louder-than-words/article_bf6b5618-fd25-5cda-b505-192d69fe5426.html
Why wasn't John Cantrell indicted?

The public corruption trial of his father, longtime Lake County political fixer Bob Cantrell, opened in federal court Wednesday.

And given John Cantrell's testimony as a government witness who has been granted immunity, it is to me a logical and obvious question, and one to which we probably never will get an official answer.

John, a lawyer, said on the stand he was paid by Addiction and Family Care Inc., a Hammond counseling service that has worked for, among others, the Lake County Jail. Defendants have been referred there by, among others, Lake Superior Court Judge Julie Cantrell, John's sister and Bob's daughter.

But under oath, John admitted he never did any real work for the counseling service, and was paid as a "consultant," which in many cases is Lake County shorthand for a no-show paycheck.

John and sister Jennifer Cantrell also got health insurance from AFC, which is owned by political insider Nancy Fromm, who pleaded guilty in March 2007 to hiding income and underreporting business profits and agreed to testify against Bob Cantrell.

Bob Cantrell worked for Fromm as a "finder," which meant he could drum up business for her through his connections with people like his daughter Julie and Sheriff Roy Dominguez, whose wife works in Julie Cantrell's court.

This trial is laying bare Lake County's "pay to play" game that determines who gets hired, promoted, elected or given outside contracts and by which tax dollars are steered to the connected few.

OK so far. Fromm has been indicted and pleaded guilty. Bob Cantrell has been indicted and could spend the rest of his life in prison if convicted.

But neither John nor sister Jen, both of whom were beneficiaries of the influence of their father and the forced largesse of Fromm, have been indicted, although they were named as Persons A and B in Bob Cantrell's indictment as having improperly received health benefits.

The "why" would have been self-evident if Bob had pleaded guilty to spare his kids indictments. But he didn't.

So I'm left to guess that John was offered immunity to testify against his father as a non-hostile witness, and that a deal for Jen was thrown in as part of the no-indictment agreement.

All that is purely my speculation, but here's a fact you can take to the bank: The government doesn't do favors for people like the Cantrells without a good reason.

Will we ever know why? Don't bet on it.

05302008 - News Article - Fromm testimony continues in Cantrell trial - ROBERT CANTRELL

Fromm testimony continues in Cantrell trial
NWI Times
May 30, 2008
nwitimes.com/news/local/fromm-testimony-continues-in-cantrell-trial/article_2635294f-8adc-5e14-9256-f33bef2420e7.html
HAMMOND | Nancy Fromm never negotiated the deals she had with North Township.

In court Friday, Fromm said her friend and consultant "Bobby Cantell" handled all contract dealings, partly because Fromm had a political feud with township Trustee Gregory Cvitkovich.

"The truth of the matter is, I never really looked at these (contracts)," Fromm said, paging through contracts with her signature. "I signed them and did what Mr. Cantrell told us to do."

Vivisecting a dirty deal in Lake County is not as interesting as it might sound. The trial features a blizzard of paperwork and moments of mind-numbing tedium that could challenge even the most caffeinated juror.

Like most white-collar cases, the crimes are alleged to have happened in secret - non-payment of taxes, fraudulent forms sent through the mail - which makes money trails and contracts key evidence.

Defense attorney Kevin Milner said in opening statements that one of Cantrell's key defenses will be trying to show that no dirty money ended up in his client's bank accounts.

Under questioning from prosecutor Orest Szewciw, Fromm talked about how many of the contracts between her business, Addiction and Family Care, and public agencies were politically greased.

For a deal with the East Chicago City Court, she had to make regular payments to court employee Robert Antich. For her North Township deal, she paid Cantrell, via regular checks to his son.

"He asked I pay his son John, because his son was in law school and could use the money, and Bobby said his (own) tax bill was too big," Fromm said.

Often political alliances got in the way of business. For example, she had to part ways with one partner because then-Sheriff John Buncich refused to give Fromm work because her company had hired a political rival.

She even had a rivalry with Cvitkovich because she had supported his opponent in the 1996 election. But Cantrell smoothed over the difficulties.

Later, as Fromm's consultant, Cantrell worked to remove basic protections for taxpayers from her contracts, like a 60-day termination clause.

He also added "classes" to the contract that North Township employees were forced to attend, in some cases duplicating public education they might have already had, such as classes on grammar, spelling and sentence structure.

Meanwhile, defense attorney Kevin Milner was preparing what he hopes to be a devastating cross-examination of Fromm later today or Monday, laying out exactly what points he wants to hit in a detailed outline scribbled onto his yellow legal pad.

05302008 - News Article - Prosecution questions 'silly' classes - Did Cantrell profit from co-workers' training classes? - ROBERT CANTRELL

Prosecution questions 'silly' classes
Did Cantrell profit from co-workers' training classes?
NWI Times
May 30, 2008
nwitimes.com/news/local/prosecution-questions-silly-classes/article_1d10f08d-e8a9-597e-84d9-a3729d4d5dfe.html
HAMMOND | While his co-workers were forced to attend classes on such essential workplace functions as yoga and "The Art of Assertiveness," Robert Cantrell was collecting a cut of every dollar spent on the so-called training, prosecutors say.

Defense attorney Kevin Milner disagreed, and protested Thursday's courtroom recitation of the "silly" classes that Cantrell's co-workers had to attend such as "How to Stop Procrastination, Part Two."

Milner said prosecutors will not prove that Cantrell ever illegally received money related to the classes, which was why he didn't want them read in court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Orest Szewciw said the titles of the classes are exactly on point.

"The government is going to show that (Cantrell) himself proposed all these services," Szewciw said. "It was being done for one reason alone -- so that Mr. Cantrell could continue to receive his $1,000 a month."

Prosecutors say -- and Cantrell denies -- that Cantrell took illegal kickbacks from the North Township contractor that taught the classes, Addiction and Family Care. Cantrell was the manager of the township's poor relief office in East Chicago.

Cantrell admits he took commissions for other deals he arranged for the company, but denies he was paid for the North Township deal or from a contract the firm had with his daughter, Lake Superior Court Judge Julie Cantrell.

In opening statements, after Milner told the jury about Robert Cantrell's Bronze Star for fighting in the first Iraq conflict, the defense attorney said his client always was adamant that none of his money come from illegal sources.

05302008 - News Article - Fromm's agency called into court - Former Cantrell ally called by prosecution in political corruption trial

Fromm's agency called into court
Former Cantrell ally called by prosecution in political corruption trial
Post-Tribune (IN)
May 30, 2008
Nancy Fromm on Thursday began telling the story of the rise and fall of her politically-connected counseling service, a business cycle that closely followed the Lake County election cycle.

The prosecution witness in the corruption trial of Robert Cantrell, Fromm testified that she founded her first counseling company the day after Cantrell's daughter, Julie, was sworn in as a Lake County judge.

Fromm said she agreed to work on Cantrell's 1996 campaign after asking Robert Cantrell if his daughter would steer work to a counseling agency she planned to start with Hobart Township official George Sufana.

"We said we would help her and that if we supported her, that we hoped she would send us some business," said Fromm, whose testimony comes as part of plea bargain for tax evasion and obstruction of justice charges connected to her business.

Judge Cantrell and the Hobart Town Court were the first and only customers for the firm, which Fromm and Sufana eventually would split up to accommodate other political alliances and win more business. Julie Cantrell won re-election in the May primary and has never been charged with any crime.

The half that became Fromm's Addiction & Family Care (AFC) is at the center of federal prosecutor's case against Robert Cantrell, who allegedly collected six-figure fees from Fromm in exchange for using his connections -- built during his long career as a Lake County political operative -- to win government contracts for AFC.

Prosecutors allege Cantrell violated state ethics laws by not disclosing his ties to AFC while he was working for one of the firm's clients, North Township Trustee Greg Cvitkovich. Former township attorney Anthony DeBonis testified he raised the same issue with Cvitkovich in 2004, after reading a news article detailing Cantrell's connection to AFC.

DeBonis testified Cantrell told him that he never collected fees from AFC's contracts with the township or with his daughter's court. Asked by DeBonis to provide a sworn affidavit or financial records as evidence, the lawyer said Cantrell became "animated."

"By the end (of the conversation), I had a clear impression that he wasn't going to do it," he said. "I think he was miffed that we were trying to find out what the extent of his business relationship was."

Defense attorney Kevin Milner noted the township first signed a contract with AFC in 1999, before Cantrell took his township job, though the deal later was renewed through 2006.

Milner objected to Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Ault's recitation of the names of counseling classes AFC provided, titles that included "The Art of Assertiveness," "How to Stop Procrastinating" and "Yoga." The firm had been hired to provide addiction counseling for township employees.

"There are no allegations in the indictment about the quality of the classes," Milner said. "What the government is trying to do is basically attack the contract as being silly ... The only issue for the jury is whether or not (Cantrell) accepted money."

05292008 - News Article - Son testifies against father - Cantrell trial opens with statements, testimony on schemes - ROBERT CANTRELL

Son testifies against father
Cantrell trial opens with statements, testimony on schemes
NWI Times
May 29, 2008
nwitimes.com/news/local/son-testifies-against-father/article_2f090dac-cd2d-5279-9c31-484e510a0f88.html

HAMMOND | As his father looked on, John Cantrell took the witness stand Wednesday and tried to take the blame for dreaming up ways to cash in on the legendary political connections of his dad, Robert Cantrell.

The elder Cantrell once wielded nearly as much political clout as anyone in the Lake County Democratic machine, but Wednesday marked the first day of testimony in the 66-year-old Schererville man's fight to stay out of prison.

In opening statements Wednesday, the prosecution and the defense both agreed that Robert Cantrell profited handsomely from his political connections over the years.

He used his clout to talk judges across Lake County into hiring a mental health counseling firm that was, in turn, paying him commissions often amounting to half the total profits.

The firm, Addiction and Family Care, worked for courts in East Chicago, Gary, Schererville, Lake Station, and Lake County, as well as for Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez and North Township Trustee Greg Cvitkovich.

Robert Cantrell got a cut of all those contracts -- even those whose fees came from the pockets of jail inmates ordered to attend mandatory counseling.

Defense attorney Kevin Milner said it was all legal.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Orest Szewciw described it as a betrayal of taxpayers and the public trust.

"This case is about how Robert Cantrell breached his duty to provide honest services to North Township and its citizens," Szewciw said of Cantrell's former public employer, the township.

Milner said most of the blame goes to Addiction and Family Care owner Nancy Fromm, who is expected to testify against Robert Cantrell today or Friday.

"Nancy Fromm will testify, 'While I did steal a lot of money, I gave a lot of it to Bob Cantrell,'" Milner told the jury. "There is no support for that allegation."

John Cantrell, who is also a defense attorney, said he believed he gave his father the idea to use his political connections to enrich the counseling firm and himself.

Tax records showed Fromm paid John Cantrell between 1999 and 2002. He explained he was paid as a "consultant" even though he never did any real "work" for her.

He was testifying for the government. But his admission led prosecutors into the unusual position of attempting to impeach their own witness by trying to show -- nine separate times -- that he was contradicting his grand jury testimony.

John Cantrell tried to explain that his comments were consistent, depending on whether one defined consulting as "work."

U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano said only jurors will decide whether John Cantrell had contradicted himself and ruined his credibility in their eyes.

05292008 - News Article - Son testifies against father - ROBERT CANTRELL

Son testifies against father
NWI Times
May 29, 2008
nwitimes.com/news/local/son-testifies-against-father/article_2f090dac-cd2d-5279-9c31-484e510a0f88.html

HAMMOND | As his father looked on, John Cantrell took the witness stand Wednesday and tried to take the blame for dreaming up ways to cash in on the legendary political connections of his dad, Robert Cantrell.

The elder Cantrell once wielded nearly as much political clout as anyone in the Lake County Democratic machine, but Wednesday marked the first day of testimony in the 66-year-old Schererville man's fight to stay out of prison.

In opening statements Wednesday, the prosecution and the defense both agreed that Robert Cantrell profited handsomely from his political connections over the years.

He used his clout to talk judges across Lake County into hiring a mental health counseling firm that was, in turn, paying him commissions often amounting to half the total profits.

The firm, Addiction and Family Care, worked for courts in East Chicago, Gary, Schererville, Lake Station, and Lake County, as well as for Sheriff Rogelio "Roy" Dominguez and North Township Trustee Greg Cvitkovich.

Robert Cantrell got a cut of all those contracts -- even those whose fees came from the pockets of jail inmates ordered to attend mandatory counseling.

Defense attorney Kevin Milner said it was all legal.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Orest Szewciw described it as a betrayal of taxpayers and the public trust.

"This case is about how Robert Cantrell breached his duty to provide honest services to North Township and its citizens," Szewciw said of Cantrell's former public employer, the township.

Milner said most of the blame goes to Addiction and Family Care owner Nancy Fromm, who is expected to testify against Robert Cantrell today or Friday.

"Nancy Fromm will testify, 'While I did steal a lot of money, I gave a lot of it to Bob Cantrell,'" Milner told the jury. "There is no support for that allegation."

John Cantrell, who is also a defense attorney, said he believed he gave his father the idea to use his political connections to enrich the counseling firm and himself.

Tax records showed Fromm paid John Cantrell between 1999 and 2002. He explained he was paid as a "consultant" even though he never did any real "work" for her.

He was testifying for the government. But his admission led prosecutors into the unusual position of attempting to impeach their own witness by trying to show -- nine separate times -- that he was contradicting his grand jury testimony.

John Cantrell tried to explain that his comments were consistent, depending on whether one defined consulting as "work."

U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano said only jurors will decide whether John Cantrell had contradicted himself and ruined his credibility in their eyes.

05292008 - News Article - Bob Cantrell's son takes stand for the prosecution - ROBERT CANTRELL

Bob Cantrell's son takes stand for the prosecution
Post-Tribune (IN)
May 29, 2008
John Cantrell took the witness stand Wednesday to testify for the prosecution in the trial against his father, Lake County political insider Robert Cantrell.

Both father and son seemed uncomfortable during the more than two hours Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Ault questioned the younger Cantrell. As the young lawyer carefully parsed his answers, he clearly appeared to be a reluctant witness despite an immunity deal with prosecutors.

And Robert, reputed for his love of bareknuckle politicking, fidgeted as Ault pointed out discrepancies -- most of them apparently minor misstatements about his dates of employment-- between his son's answers on the stand and previous statements to the grand jury.

The younger Cantrell's payouts from Addiction & Family Care (AFC) -- a counseling firm his father helped win lucrative contracts with more than a dozen government agencies -- form much of 11-count indictment against Robert Cantrell.

Prosecutors allege payments the company made to John Cantrell were illegal kickbacks that went directly to his father, and that Cantrell had John and his daughter, Jennifer, included on the AFC group insurance plan while the pair were both full-time law students.

In his opening statement, Cantrell attorney Kevin Milner described the payouts as fees paid to John Cantrell, who first offered an idea for a way his father could profit from his decades of travel in Lake County political circles. While working in the courts before he started law school in 2000, John Cantrell suggested his father charge fees to lobby local courts to hire AFC.

The arrangement saw AFC get $1.3 million, with nearly half that sum going to the Cantrells, prosecutors allege. From 2000 to 2003, the younger Cantrell received as much as $12,000 a year from AFC for consulting work, as well as health insurance, though he admitted he never worked directly for the company.

"Your father is a smart man?" Ault asked. "Do you think that your conversation was the first time that he had thought to make money from his connections?"

John Cantrell also seemed uncertain about whether he had signed checks and insurance forms from AFC, noting his signature had changed since law school. In his opening statements, Milner said a handwriting expert would testify, and said AFC owner Nancy Fromm had filled out fraudulent insurance paperwork for her relatives as well.

05272008 - News Article - Jury selected in Cantrell trial - ROBERT CANTRELL

Jury selected in Cantrell trial
NWI Times
May 27, 2008
nwitimes.com/news/local/jury-selected-in-cantrell-trial/article_d0dfa325-62f6-528d-80e7-31bfbe06fc6d.html
HAMMOND | Several teachers are among the jury of 12 who will decide the fate of Robert Cantrell, an East Chicago political figure and former educator and coach charged with fraud.

Cantrell will be judged by a jury of eight men and four women. Four alternates were seated during the selection process Tuesday in Hammond federal court.

Opening statements in the three-week trial are set to begin today for the East Chicago political operative charged with 11 counts of tax evasion, honest services deprivation and health insurance fraud for taking kickbacks from a contractor of North Township, where Cantrell formerly worked.

Cantrell was the subject of a federal investigation for several years before he was indicted last year. Some observers say he is one of the most influential political insiders in Lake County, while others say his clout has waned greatly in recent years.

Court officials have kept tight wraps on the case, filing numerous motions under seal concerning undisclosed issues that later have been discussed in closed-door meetings.

Defense attorney Kevin Milner has publicly complained about government secrecy after prosecutors said they did not intend to hand over copies of grand jury testimony from attorney John Cantrell, who is the defendant's son, until the day he testifies.

But a motion filed by Milner in full public view last week hints at a broad range of evidence that could be introduced at trial, including information regarding:
* possible violence associated with Gilbert Gutierrez, a politically connected East Chicago court official who has been called a person of interest in the investigation into the 1992 killing of Guadalupe Castaneda.

* Robert Cantrell's alleged use or involvement with absentee ballots in East Chicago.

* letters submitted by Anthony DeBonis, who had political ties to the administration of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick.

* any hirings or firings by Lake Superior Court Judge Julie Cantrell, Robert Cantrell's daughter, who was elected in 1996.

* a grant of immunity from prosecution to John Cantrell.

05272008 - News Article - Cantrell trial begins in secret - ROBERT CANTRELL

Cantrell trial begins in secret
NWI Times
May 27, 2008
nwitimes.com/news/local/cantrell-trial-begins-in-secret/article_86bdfcdb-21c5-5a74-8c1d-1b9d09f1ac42.html
HAMMOND | U.S. District Court Judge Rudy Lozano was keeping the public out of his courtroom during jury selection Tuesday morning in the public corruption trial of East Chicago political fixer Robert Cantrell.

As has happened in other high-profile trials in the courthouse recently, nearly every non-judicial seat in the court was expected to be filled by the large pool of potential jurors.

"(Lozano) wants no one in there, not even family, until jury selection ends," Court Security Officer Ray Martinez said. "He only wants the jurors and the people involved" in the courtroom.

Two Cantrell family members were allowed into the court for jury selection as the morning progressed.

Though he has never held public office, Cantrell is on trial for depriving the public of honest services because prosecutors say he convinced his public employer, the North Township trustee's office, to hire a company that was paying him under the table.

Cantrell was the subject of federal investigation for several years before he was indicted last year. Some observers say he is one of the most influential political insiders in Lake County, while others say his clout has waned greatly in recent years.

The case has received a significant amount of pre-trial publicity since Cantrell was indicted last year, which can make jury selection more time-consuming because jurors who have seen news accounts have to be quizzed on whether they were left with a bias.

Jury selection can take a day or more in high-profile federal cases.

Tuesday's move to keep the public out of jury selection was only the latest secret maneuver in the politically sensitive trial.

Numerous motions have already been filed under seal, and trial arguments have taken place in Lozano's private chambers as recently as last week.

Defense attorney Kevin Milner has publicly complained about government secrecy after prosecutors said they did not intend to hand over copies of grand jury testimony from attorney John Cantrell until the day he testifies.

But a motion filed by Milner in full public view last week hints at a broad range of evidence that could be introduced at trial, including information on:
* "Possible violence" associated with Gilbert Gutierrez, a politically connected East Chicago court official who has been called a "person of interest" in the investigation into the 1992 killing of Guadalupe Castaneda;

* Robert Cantrell's alleged use or involvement with absentee ballots in East Chicago;

* Letters submitted by Anthony DeBonis, who had political ties to the administration of former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick;

* Any hirings or firings by Lake Superior Court Judge Julie Cantrell, Robert Cantrell's daughter, who was elected in 1996;

* A grant of immunity from prosecution to John Cantrell, the son of Robert Cantrell.

05222008 - News Article - John Cantrell a 'reluctant' witness in father's trial - Attorney intends to proclaim indicted father's innocence - ROBERT CANTRELL

John Cantrell a 'reluctant' witness in father's trial
Attorney intends to proclaim indicted father's innocence
NWI Times
May 22, 2008
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/john-cantrell-a-reluctant-witness-in-father-s-trial/article_768c68de-29b7-5e9c-8f83-454b2d5109d7.html

HAMMOND | Criminal defense lawyer John Cantrell says he's not a government snitch even though he is being called an "important" witness in the federal public corruption case against his father, Lake County political operative Bob Cantrell.

"I have been called by the government as a reluctant witness and have absolutely nothing negative to say about my father," John Cantrell told The Times late Tuesday. "To the contrary, it is my honest belief that my father has done nothing wrong, and I intend to testify to that in court."

The unusual public statement by a witness just before a high-profile trial came after Bob Cantrell's defense attorney, Kevin Milner, said during a routine court hearing in Hammond federal court Friday that the son will be an important government witness. The trial begins Tuesday.

Bob Cantrell was indicted on charges that, among other things, he convinced a North Township contractor to put John Cantrell on a health insurance plan even though John Cantrell was not an employee of the firm, Addiction and Family Care, according to the indictment and sources close to the case.

John Cantrell's health insurance was approved during a time when the firm also was giving Bob Cantrell cash payments from the profits it was receiving from a contract with Bob Cantrell's employer, the North Township trustee's office.

In addition to his insurance fraud counts, Bob Cantrell was indicted last year on charges he received the payments, which were an illegal conflict of interest, and evaded income taxes on the payments, federal prosecutors allege.

John Cantrell has not been charged with a crime, but he testified before the grand jury investigating his father.

The issue about John Cantrell's trial testimony arose Friday because Milner was complaining to U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry that prosecutors Orest Szewciw and Wayne Ault were refusing to hand over copies of John Cantrell's grand jury transcripts until the day of trial.

"I've been practicing for 26 years. This is the first time ever that someone's tried to do this," Milner told Cherry. "I have no idea what (John Cantrell) said in there. I will not be able to review it."

Other witnesses expected to testify in the three-week trial include former North Township Trustee Greg Cvitkovich, Addiction and Family Care owner Nancy Fromm, disgraced former Schererville Town Judge Deb Riga, and various employees of Fromm and the township.

Fromm, whose addiction counseling firm has done business with courts across Lake County, pleaded guilty last year to two federal felonies.

In a plea agreement, Fromm admitted to illegally hiding her business profits from a grand jury and then under-reporting her personal income in 2003. The plea set the stage for Fromm to cooperate with other federal investigations into alleged public corruption.

05192008 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

This settlement was vacated in September 2008, due to both attorneys Rice and Shaw not adhering to Rule 2100 - Mandatory discovery / Financial Declaration forms; deviations between the oral agreement and agreement placed on record; and deviations between the written agreement and the court transcripts.

Attorney Rice led me to believe that we had a court date for contempt charges against my ex and for an increase in my maintenance on May 19, 2008. My ex was refusing to pay my maintenance; repairs on the vehicle; and utilities. He was also violating the protective order.

For some reason, Attorney Rice was adament that my financial advisor not attend this hearing.

When I arrived at the courthouse, I found attorneys Rice and Shaw in a conference room with my ex. Rice sat down with me in another room and told me that my ex was willing to make an immediate cash settlement offer of $50,000 cash. I wasn't prepared for this. My ex had never produced any of his financial records. I balked at the offer and told Rice that I wanted my financial advisor to review any offers.

Rice became impatient with me and told me it was a great offer. He reminded me that I would now be able to go home to Michigan. The more I hesitated, the more Rice reminded me of my chance to go home.

Knowing I wasn't going to budge at this out of the blue offer, Shaw kept walking into the conference room and calling out the time, "She only has x amount of minutes to make a decision. If she doesn't take the offer, Johnson won't hear her case today..."

Finally, both my ex and attorney Shaw came into the conference room and pressured me with promises of $50,000 cash immediately. Shaw and Rice promised me that I would receive $10,000 within 2 days and the remaining $40,000 in cash within two weeks. I buckled under the pressure and manipulation and agreed to the offer.

However, when we got into the courtroom, the $40,000 cash portion of the settlement was put on the record as a 401K distribution [taxes and penalities would eat a large portion of the settlement]. 

In the written order, Attorney Shaw deviated even further from both the oral agreement and the agreement placed on record, and claimed that I was not entitled to any portion of my ex's 401K.

Although Magistrate Johnson listed the discrepanices the attorneys made between the oral agreement; the agreement placed on record; and the written agreement [09182008], as his reason for vacating the May settlement, he did not report the attorneys' dishonesty to the proper authorities.

How many other women were victimized by this type of manipulation and dishonesty by these attorneys?

09242007-08192010 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

09242007 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN - Attorney's misled me to believe I would receive settlement in October 2007

11192007 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

05192008 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

09172008 - Divorce Court Hearing Transcripts - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

11052008 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

11242008 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

05042009 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

06242009 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

09212009 - Ex's DV Criminal Conviction - Violation of PPO / Threat to kill me - 64D06-0808-CM-8254/Porter County Superior Court, Portage IN

11232009 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

01122010 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

04192010 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

08102010 - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

08192010  - Court Hearing Transcripts - Divorce Case - CAUSE NO: 64D01-0708-DR-7804/Porter County Superior Court, Valparaiso IN

Default hearing for immediate distribution of properrty settlement.

At this hearing, I requested that the court order my ex to pay me my property settlement in full before he was allowed to take possession of the house. Magistrate Johnson ignored this request. This would have put a halt to the October 7th unlawful police entry into my home.

"...If, you know, the court require that before he takes possession of the house, he buys out my interest..."

EXHIBIT NUMBER 1

[ EMAIL FROM ATTORNEY JEFFREY SHAW TO ATTORNEY JOHN RHAME]

"Mr. Thomas is a very violent man. He's a very controlling man..."

"...If, you know, the court require that before he takes possession of the house, he buys out my interest..."

This is a default hearing, thus the court should have honored this request in an order that my ex could not take possession of the marital home until after he paid me my property settlement. This puts more question on the unlawful police entry into my home on October 7th.

"Your Honor...It's not going to be safe for me around here..."

Magistrate Johnson's comment about wanting ex-parte' communication with my ex's attorney : "I'm disappointed that Mr. Shaw chose not to attend. I would be interested in his response..."