Transcripts: Defendant describes alleged bribes to Portage mayor as "juice money"
NWI Times
November 19, 2018
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/transcripts-defendant-describes-alleged-bribes-to-portage-mayor-as-juice/article_664f27e5-351c-511c-8efd-9754a006e597.html
HAMMOND — Calling it "juice money," a Portage contractor detailed how to disguise alleged bribes as campaign donations to Mayor James Snyder, transcripts of undercover recordings filed by federal prosecutors state.
Portage Mayor James Snyder's criminal defense attorney is trying to quash those undercover recordings, which federal prosecutors say link Snyder to a bribery scheme.
Transcripts of the undercover recordings of conversations among Snyder, co-defendant John Cortina, a confidential informant and others filed Sunday in U.S. Federal Court detail evidence prosecutors hope to introduce when Snyder's public corruption trial begins in January.
The 83-page document includes transcripts of secret recordings beginning May 29, 2014, and ending Nov. 10, 2016, six days before Snyder and Cortina were indicted. Cortina, owner of Kustom Auto of Portage, was charged with one count of paying a bribe. Snyder was charged with accepting that bribe.
Snyder also faces two additional charges, including another bribery charge and tax evasion involving his mortgage company. Snyder and Cortina's joint trial is scheduled to begin Jan. 14.
Snyder is hoping those undercover tapes will be thrown out before they ever reach a jury's ears.
In a motion filed Saturday by Snyder's attorney, Jackie Bennett Jr., of Indianapolis, his defense contends that prosecutors missed the Nov. 16 deadline to file the summary of evidence.
"Mr. Snyder cannot prepare a defense to a secret case," Bennett wrote, adding prosecutors have missed several deadlines.
Because prosecutors have missed deadlines, Snyder's defense team is asking the court to rule "that the government cannot introduce any of the out-of-court recordings of Mr. Cortina in a trial involving Mr. Snyder," Bennett wrote.
Bennett contends the recordings are "hearsay," and their introduction is prohibited by rules of evidence.
The tapes, according to prosecutors, provide evidence of a conspiracy in the bribery case — and that the excerpts filed in Hammond federal court may be just a tip of the iceberg when the trial begins.
"The government expressly reserves the right to offer additional statements of indicted and unindicted co-conspirators," according to the government's filing.
Who is on the tapes?
Two of the "unindicted co-conspirators" in the tapes are referred to as Public Official 1 and Public Official 2, who, according to the transcripts, acted as lead people between Snyder, Cortina and Individual A, also referred to as the Confidential Human Source. The CHS was described as a retired police officer and owner of a Northwest Indiana towing firm, who, after meeting with the FBI, agreed to cooperate with federal authorities to uncover corruption regarding the awarding of towing contracts in Northwest Indiana.
Scott Jurgensen, an FBI informant and owner of Samson's Towing in Merrillville, was a key witness in the unrelated bribery trial of former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich. Jurgensen paid a bribe to Buncich in the form of a $2,000 check for Buncich's campaign and an additional $500 in cash.
Buncich was indicted on the same day as Snyder and Cortina. The former sheriff was convicted in August 2017 on charges of taking bribes in a lucrative towing contract scheme.
The first name "Scott" and references to Samson's Towing are included in the transcripts of excerpts of the government's filing in the Snyder/Cortina case.
"The evidence summarized above establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that James Snyder, John Cortina, Public Official 1, and Public Official 2, conspired, and/or engaged in the scheme/joint venture as charged in Counts One and Two of the indictment, or acted as agents of Snyder in furtherance of the above described joint criminal activity," according to the government's conclusion in the filing, adding the statements made by the parties should be found admissible in court.
A tale of the tapes
According to court records, the initial recording on May 29, 2014, is between Snyder and Individual A regarding what it would take to get Individual A's tow company on the city's towing list.
The two discuss Cortina and possibly having him remove the towing company with which he was then partnering and taking on Individual 1's company, transcripts state.
The next recording is on Jan. 26, 2016, between Cortina and Individual A regarding getting Individual A on the list of towing contractors doing business with the city, court records state.
During the conversation, Cortina is quoted as telling Individual A that he is "tight" with Snyder's brother, who "lets me know everything." Cortina also is quoted as saying he already had lent the mayor about $20,000, including money for his personal business. Cortina tells Individual A that Snyder never has paid him back but that he continues to help out Snyder and his family.
"I've always helped their kids at Christmastime and what have ya," Cortina is quoted in transcripts as saying.
The transcripts continue from conversations taped on 16 different dates, centering on Individual A getting on the city's tow list. According to the transcripts, Cortina and Individual A each gave Snyder $6,000, for a total of $12,000 to be put on the city's tow list. Individual A's company eventually was put on the tow list after work by Public Official 1 and Public Official 2.
On Feb. 1, 2016, Cortina called Snyder, according to transcripts.
"Hey, uh Christmas is here," Cortina is quoted as telling the mayor, arranging to meet Snyder 15 minutes later at Snyder's private company office with the money.
In the tapes, Cortina, often using vulgar language, also discusses with Individual A how to disguise the alleged bribe as a donation and later calls the money "juice money."
"He ... he called it (expletive) loans. He calls it loans," Cortina said.
"You call it juice money," responds Individual A.
"I call it (expletive) juice. I call it what it is. What the (expletive). ... Call it juice money," Cortina is quoted as responding.
Cortina also allegedly told Individual A in several conversations that Cortina is like a family member to Snyder, had paid for vacations for the family, been with Snyder in Las Vegas and bought the mayor's children "thousands" of dollars of fireworks every year.
Conversations documented in the transcripts also centered on Cortina's business repairing the car of Public Official 1's wife for no charge.
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