Snyder's lawyers try to block new corruption trial
NWI Times
June 08, 2020
HAMMOND — Defense lawyers for a former Portage mayor are restating their opposition to a new bribery trial.
A defense team led by Jackie M. Bennett Jr. of Indianapolis, issued a new court memo recently, asking a federal judge to dismiss a remaining bribery count against James E. Snyder.
They argue prosecutorial gamesmanship that resulted in important defense witnesses not testifying in Snyder’s first trial last year caused U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Van Bokkelen to overturn a jury’s 2019 guilty verdict on allegations Snyder solicited bribes from a Portage truck dealership.
They argue Snyder’s constitutional protection against anyone being tried twice with the same crime forbade a second jury hearing the case.
Bennett is making his case to U.S. District Court Judge Theresa Springmann, who took over the case six months ago.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill R. Koster argued the prosecutions’ position last month that double jeopardy doesn’t apply in Snyder’s case.
Bennett asked Springmann for a new court hearing so he can further rebut the government’s case against Snyder with new evidence of prosecutorial misdeeds.
A federal grand jury indicted Snyder on Nov. 17, 2016.
Prosecutors allege Snyder twice solicited bribes, as Portage mayor, to steer city business to private vendors and also evaded federal taxes owed by Snyder’s private mortgage contract business.
These charges were tried before a jury in early 2019.
A jury found Snyder innocent of one bribery count over city towing vendors, but guilty of soliciting a $13,000 payment from a Portage truck dealership in return for steering city contracts to that business. The jury also found Snyder guilty of tax obstruction.
Snyder’s team demanded he be acquitted or given a new trial on the guilty verdicts.
Van Bokkelen granted a new trial on the remaining bribery count, but left the guilty verdict on the tax charge in place.
Snyder is expected to appeal his tax conviction.
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