Lake sheriff, former Cal Twp. trustee play for time
NWI Times
Apr 19, 2017
CROWN POINT — Two Lake County political figures who already have enough trouble with public corruption charges, now are trying to avoid penalties for election law violations.
Lake County Sheriff John Buncich and former Calumet Township Trustee Mary Elgin petitioned the county elections board Tuesday to delay bringing up their failure to file past campaign finance reports.
Michelle Fajman, the county elections director, said Elgin sent the board a letter asking for more time because she had medical issues.
Three years ago, Elgin asked to be excused from filing campaign finance reports because FBI and IRS agents seized her campaign records during a 2014 raid on her township offices in Gary, just before a federal grand jury indicted her.
Elgin and Steven Hunter, her son and former information technology boss, have pleaded not guilty and are scheduled to be tried May 8 on federal wire fraud and conspiracy charges alleging she extorted cash and work from her township employees to benefit her re-election.
She also is accused of failing to file federal income tax returns and lying to the FBI when denying her employees were doing her political work on public time.
Fajman said a lawyer for Buncich stated to the elections board the sheriff's campaign finance records are in the hands of federal investigators following a raid on his home and office Nov. 10.
He is pleading not guilty and is awaiting trial, now set to begin Aug. 7, on bribery charges alleging he used his position as sheriff to solicit and receive campaign contributions and bribes from towing firms wanting county police business.
Elgin and Buncich face prison time if convicted of their federal counts. Their potential election violations are only fines.
Buncich would face up to a $25 penalty and Elgin up to $300 for not timely filing reports.
The elections board voted to postpone action on both cases.
The board also deferred action on fining David Pastrick for a late finance report for his former campaign for county coroner. Fajman said this would be his ninth such violation. Pastrick served as coroner from 2002 to 2010.
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