Former Lake Station mayor, stepdaughter to plead guilty
NWI Times
Jan 19, 2016
HAMMOND — Former Lake Station Mayor Keith Soderquist plans to plead guilty Wednesday to allegations he helped his stepdaughter cover up her embezzlement from City Court and waive his rights to appeal his earlier conviction on wire fraud charges, court records show.
In a plea agreement filed Tuesday, Soderquist admitted he learned in December 2012 that Miranda Brakley had embezzled more than $5,000 in bond money from the court while she was working there.
After learning of the embezzlement, Soderquist helped Brakley obtain a $15,000 loan from a third party to cover up her crime, the plea agreement says. Soderquist will plead guilty to one count of accessory after the fact, U.S. District Court records say.
Brakley plans to plea guilty Wednesday to one count of theft from a government entity, according to court records.
Soderquist and his wife, Deborah, further agreed to withdraw all pending motions, refrain from filing any additional motions for a new trial and waive their right to appeal their convictions in the wire fraud case.
The couple were convicted Sept. 11 of improperly using money from Keith Soderquist's campaign fund and the city's food pantry account to gamble. Keith Soderquist was removed from office upon his conviction.
The Soderquists were seeking a new trial and moved to disqualify U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano in the wire fraud case based on claims the judge fell asleep at least two times during their trial.
If a judge accepts the plea agreements, any sentence Keith Soderquist receives in the case involving Brakley will run concurrently with his sentence in the wire fraud case, court records say.
Lozano in December granted the Soderquists' motion to delay their sentencing in the wire fraud case, but a new date has not yet been scheduled.
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