05172008 - News Article - Cantrell trial set to start May 27 - Political insider charged a year ago with fraud and tax evasion heads to court - ROBERT CANTRELL

Cantrell trial set to start May 27
Political insider charged a year ago with fraud and tax evasion heads to court
Post-Tribune (IN)
May 17, 2008
After multiple continuances, Lake County political insider Robert Cantrell appears set to stand trial on fraud and tax evasion charges later this month.

At a hearing Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Rudy Lozano set the trial to start May 27 -- more than a year after Cantrell was charged.

Prosecutors said they may call more than two dozen witnesses to prove Cantrell defrauded taxpayers when he received a six-figure payout from a family friend who ran a counseling service that had accounts with numerous Lake County agencies, including Cantrell's daughter, Lake County Judge Julie Cantrell.

His daughter, who won re-election handily in the May 6 primary, is likely not the only political name to be introduced during a lengthy trial. Though he has never held elected office, Cantrell is as influential as any of the political players indicted in the U.S. Attorney's Restore Public Integrity corruption probe.

The former head of the East Chicago's Republican Party, Cantrell has varied and shifting ties to numerous Lake County political figures, including East Chicago Mayor George Pabey and former Lake County Democratic Party Chairman Stephen Stiglich.

Over the years, Cantrell has found his name on the payrolls of many government entities, including the North Township Trustee's office, which hired family friend Nancy Fromm's Addiction and Family Care (AFC) to provide counseling services.

Prosecutors allege Cantrell accepted more than $270,000 from 2000 to 2003 from AFC for helping the company win contracts with government entities. They also say Cantrell committed fraud by not disclosing his ties to AFC to a trustee, and that some $150,000 of his AFC income was not reported to the IRS.

Witness lists have not been made public record, but in court Friday, defense attorney Kevin Milner asked prosecutors to provide evidence related to possible testimony by Cantrell's son, John, a Lake County attorney.

Asked if he had been subpoenaed to testify against his father, John Cantrell said Friday, "I would love to comment, but I can't."