Court orders prosecutors to turn over documents by Friday in Snyder corruption case
NWI Times
March 26, 2018
http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/porter/court-orders-prosecutors-to-turn-over-documents-by-friday-in/article_495cf8b1-204d-57ab-9503-0bc86b5d7cda.html
HAMMOND — Prosecutors in the federal corruption case against Portage Mayor James Snyder have been ordered to turn over by Friday all remaining documents and materials in the prosecution's public corruption case against Snyder.
The ruling is the latest volley between the two sides.
Snyder contends prosecutors read privileged communications between himself and his former attorney — now U.S. Attorney — Thomas Kirsch II. Those private communications, he contends, would reveal his defense strategy and violate attorney-client privilege.
Kirsch, whom Snyder hired as his defense lawyer in 2014, was named U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Indiana in 2017. Kirsch has recused himself from Snyder's case, which now is being managed by the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago.
Snyder ultimately is asking the current prosecution team be discharged, or that the three-count indictment against him be dismissed because of what he believes are violations of attorney-client privilege.
Snyder's Indianapolis attorney, Jackie M. Bennett Jr., filed that motion March 20. Federal prosecutors answered the motion with one of their own, saying the government had turned over all emails seized by the FBI, including 300 that were truly privileged and never reviewed by the federal prosecution team.
Monday's court order called for the federal prosecutors to submit materials used in the discovery process to help the defense prepare its case.
Snyder is pleading not guilty to bribery charges related to city towing vendor and public works contracts, and tax evasion charges related to his private business. His trial is set for June 4.
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