In Day 9 of trial, Lake County Sheriff Buncich takes stand, denies wrongdoing in corruption case
POST-TRIBUNE NEWS
August 17, 2017
chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-buncich-trial-day-9-st-0818-20170817-story.html
On the witness stand in his public corruption trial, Lake County Sheriff John Buncich denied Thursday that he sought money to put tow operators on the county list or keep them there.
Defense attorney Larry Rogers asked the sheriff if any of the tow operators had to pay to get on the list when Buncich took office in 2011.
"Absolutely not," Buncich said.
Did they pay anyone else, Rogers asked.
"No, sir," Buncich said.
Buncich took the stand during the ninth day of trial, refuting allegations of corruption. The sheriff testified that he did not take money from tow operators to put them on the county list or to assign territory for jobs.
Defense attorneys argued, in a pretrial motion, that Buncich left the running of tow operations to now former Chief Timothy Downs and Deputy Chief Dan Murchek, and that the sheriff had other duties he needed to attend to.
"It was the least of my worries because of the jail situation," Buncich said.
Buncich said he often got calls from tow operators who were upset they saw another company getting a job in their area and he just passed that information along to the chief or deputy chief.
"I made that decision because I got sick of them calling me at all hours of the night complaining," Buncich said.
Federal prosecutors argued that Buncich used his control of the towing program to solicit bribes from operators, usually in the form of campaign contributions or fundraising tickets.
Testimony and undercover recordings of Scott Jurgensen, of Samson's Towing in Merrillville, and William Szarmach, of C.S.A. Towing in Lake Station, describe how the two tow operators pressed Buncich and Downs for more towing work. At several meetings, the videos captured Buncich retrieving envelopes that allegedly contained cash.
The FBI recorded meetings between Downs, Szarmach and Jurgensen where the former chief collected cash and checks from the tow operators. Federal prosecutors presented testimony that $500 in cash collected from each of those tow operators was never reported on the campaign finance reports for Buncich Boosters, the sheriff's campaign committee.
After an April 8, 2015, meeting, Buncich said he received $2,000 checks from both Szarmach and Jurgensen.
Rogers asked if the sheriff ever got the $500 in cash from each of the tow operators.
"I did not receive it," Buncich said.
Rogers asked if Buncich was certain about that.
"Yes, I am," Buncich said.
Rogers asked Buncich about a September 2016 meeting, recorded by the FBI, between the sheriff and Jurgensen where the tow operator gave him an envelope containing $7,500 cash.
Buncich said that was repayment for 100 $100 fundraiser tickets Jurgensen wanted. He said Jurgensen had previously paid $2,500 toward the total cost of those tickets.
Buncich said he took the cash and recorded it on his campaign documents that it would be used to pay a portion of the debt he is owed by his campaign. Buncich said his campaign owes him in excess of $70,000.
The folder containing that notation on the sheriff's campaign reports was seized during a November 2016 FBI raid at Buncich's Crown Point home.
Jurgenson and Szarmach testified the money was given to Buncich under the guise of fundraiser tickets but they sought additional work from the sheriff.
The two tow operators are heard on the recordings complaining about not getting enough jobs through the county and asking for more territory.
Rogers asked Buncich if he ever did anything that would have benefitted either Szarmach's of Jurgensen's towing numbers.
"No," Buncich said.
A document prepared by Buncich and one of his defense attorneys showed the percentage each tow company got of jobs from 2012 to 2016.
The percentages of tow jobs that Szarmach and Jurgensen got remained level, according to that analysis. From 2012-16, Jurgensen got between 8 percent to 9 percent of the tow jobs, according to documents presented in court, and Szarmach ranged for 8 percent to 14 percent during those five years.
Buncich said the territory assigned to the tow operators often changed.
Prosecutors last week presented an email exchange between Buncich and his chiefs from 2016 where two tow companies were removed from one area and put into Whiting.
Buncich said he made the decision to move those companies out of that area, leaving only two others because of officer safety issues.
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