02212019 - News Article - Convicted Portage mayor still 'owes' former co-defendant $6,000

Convicted Portage mayor still 'owes' former co-defendant $6,000
NWI Times
February 21, 2019
https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/convicted-portage-mayor-still-owes-former-co-defendant/article_a8a92b85-cd03-52f7-88c6-4cfd9dd71cf6.html

PORTAGE — During his public corruption trial, former Mayor James Snyder contended the money he received from his former co-defendant was always a loan and not a bribe.

Snyder still owes former co-defendant John Cortina $6,000 of that alleged $10,000 loan, according to his 2018 annual campaign finance report filed Thursday. 

Cortina pleaded guilty to paying Snyder the bribe, but jurors acquitted Snyder on that charge. They found him guilty last week on a second bribery charge and for obstructing IRS efforts to collect back taxes. He will be sentenced on May 24.

Snyder's report was filed more than a month late, campaign treasurer Kenard Taylor said Thursday, because Snyder was tied up in the trial, which lasted 19 days.

According to the report, Snyder raised just over $69,000 in 2018, substantially lower than the $101,000 he raised the previous year. He spent just over $54,000, leaving an account balance of $15,722. Of that, he owes $11,577 — $6,000 to Cortina and the rest to himself.

Taylor said Snyder will disband his campaign committee once he repays the loans and spends what he has left to zero out the books.

Snyder paid more campaign money to his wife and himself than he did to his attorneys, according to the report.

His wife, Deborah, received $13,000 for campaign management work, his local attorney Dogan & Dogan received $2,000 and Indianapolis-based attorney Jackie Bennett $4,000 from campaign funds. He also reimbursed himself nearly $6,000 in campaign expenses, even though there was no municipal election in 2018, and repaid himself nearly $8,000 from a previous loan. 

Snyder's largest contributor was DPBG Pac of Indianapolis, which donated $4,000 to his campaign, followed by Taylor, who donated $3,500 in in-kind consulting services, and 5-Star Engineering of Portage, which donated $2,750.

Donors giving $2,000 included former Portage Clerk-Treasurer Donna Pappas; Joseph Mrak, of Noblesville; Paul Shaffer, of Portage; Todd Gore, of Portage; Allen's Snow Removal, of Portage; Circle R Electric, of Portage; Great Lakes Engineering; Hodges and Davis, a Portage law firm; Reeder's Auto, of Portage; SAR Development, of Portage; the Pangere Group, of Gary; Trans-United, of Burns Harbor; Woodland Village, of Portage; Hamady Services LLC, of Hobart and Samuelson Insurance, of Portage.