A Democrat is set to take over as Marion County prosecutor after 16 years of GOP dominance, following an election in which
the outgoing Republican prosecutor factored large even though he was not on the ballot.
Two-term Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi drew attention for a series of questionable business deals with a local defense
attorney and for his friendship and business ties to financier Tim Durham, who is under federal criminal investigation.
The FBI also was looking into deals involving Brizzi—including a state lease deal in Elkhart and an Indianapolis drug
case—following an IBJ investigation that raised questions about his business dealings while in office and whether
those deals influenced his actions as prosecutor.
Local defense attorney Paul Page in 2008 arranged for Brizzi to own 50 percent of an office building in Elkhart leased by
the Department of Child Services without Brizzi’s putting up cash or credit. A year later, Brizzi offered a lenient
plea deal and returned $10,000 in seized cash to accused drug dealer Joseph Mobareki, a Page client.
Law enforcement officials saw Brizzi’s intervention in the Mobareki case as troubling considering his no-cost real
estate deal with Page in Elkhart.
During the election, both the victorious Democrat Terry Curry and Republican challenger Mark Massa criticized Brizzi’s
behavior in office.
Curry put it this way: “There’s no doubt whatsoever that the No. 1 challenge for the next prosecutor is …
to restore trust and confidence in the office.”
Massa, a former general counsel for Gov. Mitch Daniels and deputy prosecutor in Marion County, began his campaign by calling
on Brizzi to resign. In April, Massa announced a series of ethics reforms he hoped to enact if elected, and said the man he
hoped to replace should resign before his second four-year term ended Dec. 31.
Massa cited a series of “disturbing published reports” detailing Brizzi’s business dealings while in office,
including the investment with Page.
“I believe the prosecuting attorney should inspire public confidence, not public cynicism,” Massa said. “I
will work simply for the paycheck from the people every two weeks, and I’ll work hard to earn it.”
Brizzi resisted calls from former supporters to resign, and had a personal interest in sticking around: By finishing his
second term, he will be eligible for a public pension.
With eight years of service, he would be entitled to earn 24 percent of his highest annual salary of $125,000, or about $30,000
per year once he reaches retirement age, by IBJ’s calculation.•
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So, why isn't Brizzi charged with insider trading? I'd like to see where Brizzi got the money to buy CLST so if you investigate this make sure you ask him for the cancelled checks cuz I have a hunch he doesn't have them and that Tim bought the stock for him, which if true means Carl would be part of Tim's "investment group" and required to be listed in SEC 13d filings (which did not happen.)
Also Mr Curry, could you get to the bottom of why that Page guy allegedly showed up in bankruptcy court claiming he was broke when he is netting like just under $200K on that triple net lease (tenant, the state of Indiana, pays 100% of all costs, maintenance, taxes etc) on that building he scored up in Indinaa. Not sure what Brizzi's cut of that amount is but it's enough to let that bankruptcy judge know. Thanks Mr. Curry.