03312009 - News Article - Cantrell sentenced to prison, restitution - ROBERT CANTRELL

Cantrell sentenced to prison, restitution
NWI Times
Mar 31, 2009
nwitimes.com/news/local/cantrell-sentenced-to-prison-restitution/article_511ffe51-89bc-53cc-94bc-02167420d5f4.html
HAMMOND | U.S District Judge Rudy Lozano sentenced former Democratic power broker Robert Cantrell on Tuesday to 6 and 1/2 years in federal prison.

Finishing Cantrell's long-delayed sentencing in Hammond federal court, Lozano seemed unconvinced by defense attorney Kevin Milner's portrayal of the 67-year-old Cantrell as a benevolent patriarch, good samaritan and patriot who deserved no prison time for his 11 fraud convictions.

Milner argued Cantrell's crimes were "victimless," because Cantrell, a former political fixer based in East Chicago, can pay back the $68,000 he took from North Township through contract fraud.

Lozano disagreed. He blasted Cantrell - a Schererville resident -- as a "blessed" man who used his talent to steal from taxpayers.

"You were ahead of what most people had," Lozano told Cantrell. "But from the evidence in this case, it also appears that you fell into that ditch called politics."

Lozano sentenced Cantrell to 78 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Lozano ordered Cantrell to repay $68,000 to North Township. Cantrell must report for prison May 13.

Milner said outside court that he planned to file appeals to Cantrell's conviction and sentence Tuesday afternoon.

Cantrell was convicted June 6 of four counts of depriving the public of honest services, three counts of insurance fraud using the U.S. mail and four counts of filing false income tax returns between 2000 and 2003. The indictment accused him of taking cash kickbacks from a contract between his then-employer, the North Township trustee's office, and a political ally's company.

North Township Trustee Greg Cvitkovich's office paid the company to run adult education classes that were "seemingly useless," Lozano said.

The sentencing was delayed almost ten months, most recently so that Lozano could review trial transcripts for evidence relevant to Milner's objections to sentence enhancements proposed in a presentence report prepared by probation agents.