08182017 - News Article - In second day on the stand, Lake County sheriff continues to deny soliciting bribes from tow operators

In second day on the stand, Lake County sheriff continues to deny soliciting bribes from tow operators
POST-TRIBUNE NEWS
August 18, 2017
chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-buncich-trial-day-10-st-0819-20170818-story.html
Lake County Sheriff John Buncich again took the stand Friday, saying transactions between him and tow operators were legitimate campaign donations, not bribes to get more towing jobs, as federal prosecutors allege.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson asked Buncich, 71, why he gave a tow operator more area to tow.

"I just gave it to him," Buncich said during the 10th day of his public corruption trial in federal court in Hammond.

Was it because the tow operator gave the sheriff money, Benson asked.

"Absolutely not," Buncich replied.

The sheriff first took the stand in his own defense Thursday and told jurors he never solicited bribes to put or keep tow operators on the county list.

Through the afternoon Friday, Benson walked Buncich through evidence presented in the trial's past two weeks.

At times the exchanges between Benson and Buncich became testy, as Buncich wanted to provide longer answers.

"Will you let me ask a question?" Benson said.

"Go ahead," Buncich said.

"Thank you," Benson said.

"Thank you," Buncich said.

While looking at Buncich's campaign finance reports, Benson questioned Buncich listing cash payment anonymously, even if the sheriff knew who gave him the money.

"I've never been questioned on that," Buncich said.

"You are now, sir," Benson said.

Benson asked Buncich if he thought taking cash for campaign tickets was the best way to conduct business, to which Buncich responded "I don't know" and that he didn't have an opinion about it.

Given the sheriff's ethical obligations, Benson asked if he saw a problem with the people he supervised going to sell campaign fundraiser tickets to county vendors.

Buncich said he only had a problem with it if those people are on duty.

"It's no different than any other office in Lake County," Buncich said. "Every elected official in Lake County does it."

Benson asked if Buncich had a problem directing people to go out and try to solicit those vendors.

"I do not," Buncich said.

Benson quizzed Buncich on the Sheriff's Department's rules and regulations and the Lake County employee handbook about doing campaign work on county time.

Buncich said his department's rules and regulations apply to merit officers.

"So, only some of the rules in this book you would follow," Benson said.

"Sir, I wrote the book," Buncich said.

Benson asked if he followed the rule.

"No," Buncich said.

Benson said based on the county policy, someone going around in a county vehicle selling fundraising tickets would be a violation.

"It would be a violation, yes," Buncich said.

The policy would cover asking people to buy tickets, collecting money and providing tickets would be prohibited, Benson said.

"Yes," Buncich said.

Prosecutors last week showed a video of Timothy Downs, former Lake County chief of police and Buncich's co-defendant, walking into the Lake County Sheriff's Department and delivering $7,500 cash to Buncich.

Buncich said he wasn't expecting Downs to show up that day and confirmed that the cash was from three tow operators who each wanted 10 $100 fundraiser tickets, totaling $2,500 per person.

The video showed Buncich taking the envelope and putting it in the top drawer of his desk.

Benson said in the case of the video, Buncich was working on county property and on county time. Benson asked doesn't taking $7,500 in the office bear close public scrutiny.

"I didn't see anything wrong with that, sir," Buncich said.　

While watching a video of an April 2016 meeting between Buncich, William "Willie" Szarmach, of C.S.A. Towing in Lake Station, and Scott Jurgensen, the government's confidential informant in the case, of Samson's Towing in Merrillville, Benson asked Buncich if he reached in and took money off the front seat of Szarmach's truck.

"Absolutely not," Buncich said.

Benson asked Buncich what he thought, then, when Szarmach told the sheriff to look at Szarmach's new truck.

"I'm thinking, wow, it's nice, to myself, like I couldn't care less about a tow truck," Buncich said.

Benson is expected to continue questioning Buncich Monday morning.