11172017 - News Article - Former Merrillville councilman charged with bribery, pleads guilty

Former Merrillville councilman charged with bribery, pleads guilty
Post-Tribune
November 17, 2017 - 11:40AM
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/news/ct-ptb-former-merrillville-councilman-indicted-st-1118-20171117-story.html
A former Merrillville town councilman indicted Friday on bribery charges has already pleaded guilty.

Thomas Goralczyk, 51, of Merrillville, was charged for soliciting bribes in exchange for awarding towing contract during his tenure on the Town Council, according to court documents unsealed Friday morning, and filed a guilty plea, admitting he accepted motor vehicles and other items from a tow operator cooperating with the FBI.

"Public officials, like Mr. Goralczyk, elected and entrusted to do the public's work, are required to do that work free from self-dealing and graft. This is not optional," said U.S. Attorney Thomas Kirsch II in a statement. "The public demands and is, in fact, entitled to honest public servants. Mr. Goralczyk violated this trust for the purpose of enriching himself. This will not be tolerated at any level of government."

The Post-Tribune has reached out to Goralczyk for comment.

The charges allege that Goralczyk "did knowingly and corruptly solicit demand, accept and agree to accept" a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee; a 2008 Ford Focus; four new camper tires; and free storage for a motorcycle from "Individual A" in return for a towing contract from Merrillville, according to court documents.

Goralczyk allegedly presented false bills of sale to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which he obtained for $400 though the value was in excess of $2,500, and for the Fort Focus, which he accepted for free, according the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"I obtained both of these vehicles for my own personal gain, in exchange for my promise to engage in official conduct by using my influence and power as a Merrillville town councilman to obtain a Town of Merrillville towing contract for the FBI 'cooperating individual's' towing company," Goralczyk said, in the plea agreement.

Federal authorities allege that during the time these items were accepted, the town had received more than $10,000 from a federal grant program.

The case also seeks the forfeiture of the items Goralczyk allegedly accepted as a bribe, according to court documents.

Goralczyk, who represented Ward 4, was seeking his third term on the Merrillville Town Council when he lost the 4th Ward seat to Marge Uzelac, a longtime activist in the town, in the May 2015 Democratic primary.

He had served as council president twice during his two terms.

Goralczyk, during his tenure, helped the town receive a U.S. Department of Energy grant to install 30 solar panels on the roof of town hall in 2010 and led a nearly $1 million renovation of town hall in 2013.

When he was defeated, the town was ready to begin a $3.4 million road project at Taney and Whitcomb streets to improve drainage there.

A few weeks after the 2015 primary election, the town council moved to join the Shared Ethics Advisory Committee.

Goralczyk has been a Merrillville resident for 30 years and works for Northern Indiana Commuter Transit District.

Goralczyk's bribery indictment comes almost a year after former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich and Portage Mayor James Snyder were indicted for soliciting bribes from tow operators.

The FBI's investigation into potential pay to play towing began in 2012, according to testimony in federal court during Buncich's trial. FBI agents spoke with Scott Jurgensen, owner of Samson's Towing in Merrillville, and asked why he didn't get more towing work.

"You don't pay, you're not going to tow," Jurgensen said, during his testimony.

The investigation first looked at town officials in Merrillville and Schererville, according to testimony, but did not lead to any charges at that time.

A jury convicted Buncich in August for using his role as sheriff to assign towing territory to solicit bribes, in the form of campaign contributions. Buncich is scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 6, according to court documents, and his attorneys vowed to appeal the verdict.

Snyder pleaded not guilty to the charges, according to court documents, and is tentatively scheduled for a January 2018 trial.