Articles

FBI agent references Brizzi in Bales trial testimony

Federal prosecutors rested their fraud case against John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer on Monday after a full day of testimony from FBI Special Agent Brian Percival that included several references to former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi.

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Marsh to call former CEO as first witness

The lead lawyer for Marsh Supermarkets Inc. expects to call Don Marsh as its first witness when the civil trial against him reconvenes Tuesday. The grocery chain alleges that the former CEO used company funds to pay more than $3 million in personal expenses.

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Defense attorneys turn tough in Bales trial

The legal team representing real estate broker John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer haven't called their first witness and already they're putting up a spirited fight as federal prosecutors seek to prove 13 charges including bank, mail and wire fraud.

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Families sue to recover lost investments

A central Indiana county commissioner, his wife and members of three other families who lost more than $700,000 they invested in businesses state officials say were shell companies are suing two men accused of orchestrating the scheme.

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Barnes & Thornburg’s longtime chief gives suitors cold shoulder

Alan Levin has been managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg LLP for 16 years, far longer than the heads of most major Indianapolis law firms. But what most sets him apart is that he’s built his firm into a national practice by taking the maverick approach of going it alone instead of merging with an out-of-state rival.

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Jury selected in Marsh civil trial

Don Marsh, the former supermarket-chain CEO, went on trial in civil court Monday morning over millions of dollars in expenses he charged to the company. Proceedings got underway with attorneys selecting five men and four women for the jury before breaking for lunch.

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Former Venture employee turns on Bales during testimony

An FBI investigation into Venture Real Estate Services and principals John Bales and Bill Spencer had already begun when Matthew Dyer signed on as the company's controller in December 2009. Bales told him the company had done nothing illegal, Dyer testified Wednesday.

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Defense attorneys in Bales case trash former co-defendant

Attorney and developer Paul J. Page is no longer a co-defendant in the fraud trial of real estate broker John M. Bales and partner Bill Spencer. But you wouldn’t know it from the action Tuesday in U.S. District Court. Only now, rather than federal prosecutors, it’s defense attorneys for Bales and Spencer who are targeting Page.

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Bales defense: Elkhart deal was a ‘scheme to help’

Facing a looming deadline to find suitable office space for the state Department of Child Services, Indianapolis real estate broker John M. Bales and partner Bill Spencer in 2008 dipped into their own pockets to help close a difficult lease deal, their defense attorneys contend.

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Sale of family-owned business leads to lawsuit

Deborah Ecksten, a former shareholder of Indianapolis-based Createc Corp., is suing her brother and mother, claiming they earned multimillion-dollar profits at her expense by selling the company without her knowledge.

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Fraud trial for broker Bales begins in South Bend

The federal fraud trial of Indianapolis real estate broker John M. Bales and a partner began Monday morning in South Bend with a jury-selection process that may not have run as smoothly if it took place in central Indiana.

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Michigan lawyer claims Indiana prosecution was political

A Michigan attorney claims in a lawsuit that former Indianapolis prosecutor Carl Brizzi and former Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita used unwarranted charges against her in a cemetery theft scheme to enhance their political reputations.

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Bales’ trial could turn on definition of ownership

The jury trial in South Bend for real estate developer John Bales and his general counsel, William E. Spencer, is scheduled to begin Jan. 28 and last up to two weeks. Bales and Spencer, both 45, are facing 13 counts, including wire and mail fraud.

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