Informant in Buncich trial: 'I needed to pay'
Post-Tribune
August 07, 2017
On the first day of Lake County Sheriff John Buncich's public corruption trial, the government's confidential informant told the federal court jury that he knew he had to pay to get towing business from the county.
Scott Jurgensen, of Samson Towing and a former Merrillville police officer, told the jury he was frustrated because he couldn't get more towing Merrillville, so he befriended fellow tow operator William "Willie" Szarmach, who was indicted with Buncich in November. Szarmach recently entered into a plea deal with the government.
The Post-Tribune did not previously identify Jurgensen until he testified as a witness in court.
Jurgensen, when questioned by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson, said he and Szarmach initially talked to and paid former Lake County Chief of Police Timothy Downs, a friend of Jurgensen's since the 1980s, he said.
By 2016, the two started having "breakfast meetings" at a Merrillville restaurant with Buncich. Jurgensen described how he paid Buncich thousands of dollars in cash in order to get towing business in Gary and in New Chicago.
"I knew if I wanted to stay on the tow list, I needed to pay," Jurgensen said.
Benson showed the jury checks from Jurgensen, paying Buncich Boosters, Buncich's campaign fund, $2,000 in April 2014, and another $2,000 to Lake County Central Democratic Committee in October 2014.
Defense attorneys Bryan Truitt and Larry Rogers questioned the compensation Jurgensen received from the FBI for working as an informant, amounting to roughly $120,000. Jurgensen said a quarter of that went toward expenses his business had while towing for the county, while other money was his compensation for cooperating with the government.
Buncich was indicted nine months ago and charged that he accepted thousands of dollars in bribes for his campaign as part of an illegal towing scheme, according to prosecutors.
While Buncich opted to go to trial, his two co-defendants in the case, Downs and Szarmach, of CSA Towing in Lake Station, took plea agreements with the government.
By noon Monday, attorneys selected a jury and alternates, made up of nine men and six women, and they finished opening statements and questioning of the government's first witness, Jurgensen, by the end of the day.
Benson began in a bold, loud voice, saying, "Between this year ... and 2017, I'm going to settle my (expletive) debt."
"Those aren't my words. Those are the words of the defendant," Benson said.
Benson claimed that Buncich wanted to repay the money he had put into his own campaign by the time he left office next year.
"He used his power as the sheriff of Lake County to accomplish that," Benson said.
Benson outlined a timeline of his case for the jury, at times turning around to face Buncich, who was seated between his attorneys, Bryan Truitt and Larry Rogers.
Benson said "it's the sheriff who controls the tow list, entirely," choosing who had what territories and what tows, "and he used that like a hammer," Benson said, hitting the podium.
Benson described recordings of Buncich receiving thousands of cash in envelopes, which he told the jury, "You'll see it and you'll hear it."
"He sold his office to pay himself back. That's what the evidence will show," Benson said.
Truitt spoke in a slower, quieter voice than Benson, saying, "My opening statement is going to cover a lot of ground."
"To begin with, and it's probably not the sexiest topic, I want to talk about the duties of the Lake County sheriff," Truitt said.
Truitt went through Buncich's role with the sheriff's department's budget and overseeing the jail. He told the jury they would hear from other tow operators. He described how towing works in Lake County, referring to towing logs on screens.
Truitt told the jury, "As you listen to the tapes, listen for the relationships and make your own conclusions."
"We believe the evidence will show the FBI tried to buy a crime where a crime doesn't exist," Truitt said.
The trial resumes Tuesday and Benson told the court he plans to call a couple of witnesses, possible getting to some of the recordings in the afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment