Portage mayor also facing charges on Lake County sheriff's conviction: 'It enforces my innocence'
Post Tribune
August 24, 2017
Portage Mayor James Snyder, indicted in November for allegedly soliciting money for towing contracts, said there are differences between his case and that of Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, who was convicted Thursday on public corruption charges.
In a prepared statement in response to Buncich's conviction on federal counts of wire fraud, honest services wire fraud and bribery, Snyder said there are distinct differences between the two cases and the prosecutor's arguments in the Buncich case in fact re-enforce Snyder's innocence.
"I don't think that the Sheriff Buncich conviction will affect the Mayor Snyder trial in any way," said Thomas Dogan, a Portage attorney who is part of Snyder's legal team.
"Any cash the mayor has ever had given to him has been properly represented in his campaign reports," Dogan said, adding Snyder had a professional treasurer to keep track of his campaign donations.
Snyder, like Buncich, entered a plea of not guilty after he was charged with John Cortina, of Kustom Auto Body in Portage, with violating a federal bribery statute.
Federal prosecutors said at the time that Snyder allegedly solicited money from Cortina, a local towing operator, and "Individual A" and gave them a towing contract for Portage.
Snyder also received a bribery indictment for allegedly accepting $13,000 in connection with a board of works contract and allegedly obstructed Internal Revenue Service laws.
In his statement, Snyder said that unlike Buncich, he has never taken cash and all of his campaign contributions are recorded accurately. Federal prosecutors showed video recordings of Buncich accepting cash during his trial, and also offered testimony that he received cash contributions that did not appear on his campaign finance reports.
"Holding an elected official accountable for the intent of a donor would indict all elected officials who are not independently wealthy and have to raise funds to get their message out," Snyder said.
In his statement, Snyder said Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson's arguments against Buncich prove his own defense and in no way complicate his case.
"It enforces my innocence," Snyder said. "In order to gain a conviction the prosecution would have to argue a complete double standard from their own arguments against the sheriff."
Dogan said Snyder is alluding to the fact that informants testified in the Buncich case that in their minds, they were paying bribes, "and in the mayor's case, that certainly would not support a conviction."
Snyder goes on to say in his statement that he has been "transparent, cooperative and honorable" in his conduct with the federal government and the city of Portage.
"My family, my staff and the city continue to prosper under this cloud and we are grateful to the outpouring of goodness we have received," he said.
Snyder and Cortina are scheduled to go on trial in January.
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