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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe sentencing of a former northwest Indiana sheriff convicted of federal bribery and wire fraud charges has been moved to mid-January.
Former Lake County Sheriff John Buncich’s sentencing had been set for Wednesday in Hammond on the charges stemming from an illegal car-towing scheme. But The Post-Tribune reported that a federal judge last week moved his sentencing to Jan. 16.
A federal jury convicted Buncich in August of bribery, wire fraud and honest services wire fraud. Buncich, a Democrat, was immediately removed from the elected sheriff’s post in Indiana’s second most-populous county. He had been elected in 2015 to his fourth term as sheriff.
Federal prosecutors told jurors that Buncich abused his elected position to solicit bribes from towing operators. He has denied all wrongdoing.
The delay comes after the Lake County Bar Association took the unusual step of opposing a newspaper columnist’s vow to publish those who spoke in favor of Buncich at sentencing.
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