A Marion County grand jury has returned an eight-count indictment against OmniSource Corp., accusing the metal-recycling
powerhouse of racketeering and receiving stolen property.
OmniSource, a unit of Fort Wayne-based Steel Dynamics Inc., is charged with buying stolen cars, car parts, boats, gutters,
wiring and other items as scrap metal prices climbed between June 2007 and May 2009.
In a statement, OmniSource President Mark Millett called the allegations "unfounded," saying the company is an industry leader in "anti-theft training and law enforcement cooperation." The company hired more than 50 Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers to help detect and deter metal theft.
"This indictment of OmniSource is not only unfair to the company but an insult to the IMPD police officers who ... did
their part to stop metal thefts in Marion County,” he said in the statement.
Officers from the IMPD, FBI, Indiana State Police and other agencies raided the six Indianapolis scrap yards operated by
OmniSource in February 2009, collecting evidence and seizing property and more than $277,000. The raids were the culmination
of a year-long undercover investigation.
The grand jury returned the 16-page indictment Oct. 22, and it was filed in Marion Circuit Court on Monday.
OmniSource is charged with three counts of corrupt business influence and five counts of attempted receipt of stolen property.
The indictment details dozens of allegations, which Millett said the company will "aggressively" defend itself against.
This month, the company sued Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, seeking the return of the seized cash.
OmniSource said the investigation was a sham intended to raise Brizzi’s political profile.
As IBJ reported in April, the Prosecutor’s Office missed a
deadline to file forfeiture paperwork, likely paving the way for OmniSource to reclaim the money.
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What else has Carl done to help Tim...oh yeah, didn't he provide references against a certain whistleblower who Tim was discrediting so no one would audit Tim to find out the....gasp...obvious?
As for donations from Carl, he can assign his 50% interest in the triple net lease deal he scored in Elkhart. That will pay back the donations over a couple of years. I think he's already blown the money he made from Tim's tip to buy Cellstar right before Brightpoint bought them. Wait, Carl still owns some Cellstar shares. I think he also knew the cash reserved for Verizon on the Cellstar balance sheet wasn't going to be paid to Verizon. You remember that, too, dontcha Carl. Just thinky, Carlito, had y'all just distributed the cash instead of Timmy directing it to Fair Finance none of us ever would have known about Fair, Tim'd be sitting fat in LA and you'd not be under federal investigation.
You remember all of this, right Carl?
PS, Been back to the Drake lately? Love those pics of you. Priceless!
Now this.
Carl Brizzi is running with unfettered power. This is not only scary, the lack of public outrage is insane.
Yeah sure Keith Busse (CEO of Steel Dynamics) would knowingly condone this crap. This appears as malicious prosecution. Get a life Brizzi. As Larry Brodeur (Your Chief Narcotics Prosecutor once said when you gave your buddy and business Partner Paul Page the confiscated money from the drug apprehension client Paul Page represented... He told in an email giving the Criminal Defense Atty Paul Page the money back was "A Load of Crap".
Maybe your buddy Greg and invest in another Real Estate deal with you that your buddy Bales finds.
How many attorney's work in the MCPO? Why do the taxpayers have to pay some loud mouth who is on WIBC 3 hours a day what 30% of the SCORE?
To assist him with his plan, the Prosecutor hired a private lawyer, Greg Garrison, to organize and pursue the investigation against OmniSource and promised to pay Garrison a percentage of anything Garrison can extract from OmniSource.
2. Ben Eisbart, OmniSource's Vice President and Corporate Compliance Officer, explained that "We engage in hundreds of thousands of scrap purchases each year with the best trained anti-theft staff and operating procedures in the industry. How could anyone seriously suggest that OmniSource intended to purchase stolen scrap metal when OmniSource annually devotes hundreds of hours and spends hundreds of thousands of dollars attempting to prevent metal theft and works cooperatively with the police to create an atmosphere at all OmniSource scrap yards that metal thieves are not only not welcome but will be prosecuted."
OmniSource's lawsuit also contends that Prosecutor Brizzi's forfeiture practices are illegal and unconstitutional and contrary to established standards of conduct for prosecutors, in that he has enlisted a private lawyer to direct a forfeiture case in which he has a direct financial interest.
OmniSource's parent, OmniSource Corporation, headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is one of the largest metal recyclers in North America, with scrap yards in 9 states and in more than 50 communities, from many of which it has received commendations for its anti-theft programs and law enforcement cooperation. OmniSource-Indianapolis employs over 230 area residents and has an annual payroll of approximately $9,350,000.