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Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Ind. Courts - "State hires high-powered lawyer to present Pastrick racketeering case"
Andy Grimm of the Gary Post-Tribune reports today:
Former East Chicago mayor Robert A. Pastrick will face the lawyer who led the prosecution of former Illinois Gov. George Ryan and Chicago patronage boss Robert Sorich when he heads to court next year to face racketeering charges.Attorney General Steve Carter has hired former federal prosecutor Patrick Collins to lead the state's case against Pastrick and 28 others in a sweeping civil lawsuit that seeks to recover millions allegedly swindled during the latter years of Pastrick's three decades in office.
"We want to have the strongest team working on behalf of the public," Carter said. "(Collins) has some unique experience."
Collins, who joined the case shortly after leaving the U.S. Attorney's office in April, joins a team that already includes Notre Dame law professor Robert Blakey, who helped craft federal racketeering statutes while with the Justice Department four decades ago. * * *
Collins will be paid $395 per hour, considerably more than a staff attorney, but far less than private defense lawyers would earn, Carter said. Any judgment against the defendants could include attorney fees, he said.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on June 19, 2007 08:35 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts