Do or die ruling expected this week in former Portage mayor's public corruption case
NWI Times
Oct 19, 2020
HAMMOND — Former Republican Portage Mayor James Snyder should know by Saturday whether his request to dismiss a remaining federal bribery charge will be granted or whether he will need to prepare for another trial in his ongoing public corruption case.
The deadline was set by U.S. District Court Judge Theresa Springmann, who heard arguments in August on Snyder's claim that a retrial of the bribery charge would violate his constitutional protection against being tried twice for the same crime.
The defense argues 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.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill R. Koster has argued the prosecutions' position that double jeopardy doesn't apply in Snyder’s case.
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 and Snyder was subsequently removed from office after his guilty finding.
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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