February 7, 2013
Cory SchoutenSOUTH BEND — John M. Bales lifted his crossed hands to his face and began to cry Thursday evening as a federal judge
read the same jury verdict on each of 13 fraud counts against the real estate broker and his partner: Not guilty.
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February 7, 2013
Cory SchoutenDuring three hours of closing arguments Wednesday in the federal fraud trial of real estate broker John M. Bales and William
E. Spencer, a federal prosecutor and two top-tier Indianapolis defense attorneys delivered a series of memorable one-liners
and rhetorical flourishes designed to stick with jurors.
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February 6, 2013
Cory SchoutenClosing arguments are expected to begin Wednesday afternoon in the federal fraud trial of Indianapolis real estate broker
John M. Bales and partner William E. Spencer after the defense raced through seven witnesses Tuesday and early Wednesday.
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February 5, 2013
Cory SchoutenFederal 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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February 1, 2013
Cory SchoutenThe 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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January 31, 2013
Cory SchoutenAn 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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January 30, 2013
Cory SchoutenAttorney 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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January 29, 2013
Cory SchoutenFacing 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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January 28, 2013
Cory SchoutenThe 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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January 26, 2013
Cory SchoutenThe 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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January 4, 2013
Cory SchoutenIndianapolis attorney and developer Paul J. Page has agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in an investigation that
targets former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi.
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January 21, 2012
Cory SchoutenState officials in 2005 vowed to run a competitive process to select a private firm to handle real estate leasing for public
agencies, but a 20-page request for services to more than 400 potential bidders was a sham, according to three people with
knowledge of the process.
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January 21, 2012
Cory SchoutenThe chief of staff to Gov. Mitch Daniels, Earl A. Goode, bought a residential lot from the real estate broker John M. Bales
about two years after an agency led by Goode awarded Bales a contract to handle state leasing.
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December 17, 2011
Cory SchoutenSeveral state employees openly questioned how John Bales' real estate brokerage did business long before the FBI launched
an investigation that led to his indictment.
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December 14, 2011
Cory SchoutenA grand jury in South Bend has returned a 14-count criminal indictment against Indianapolis real estate broker John M. Bales
and two associates over a state lease deal in Elkhart that was first revealed as part of an IBJ investigation.
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September 24, 2011
Greg AndrewsReal estate executive John Bales filed a lawsuit last month accusing Chuck Mack of “willfully and maliciously”
misappropriating $200,000 that belonged to him.
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July 22, 2010
Cory SchoutenThe federal government is asking questions about how the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration handles office
leasing after an IBJ investigation raised questions about potential conflicts of interest.
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June 4, 2010
IBJ StaffIBJ investigation prompts top state Democrat's letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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May 13, 2010
Cory SchoutenThe FBI is collecting records on an Elkhart real estate deal and an Indianapolis drug case, both involving Marion County Prosecutor
Carl Brizzi and defense attorney Paul Page.
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April 24, 2010
Cory SchoutenJohn Bales' firm earned $2.9M in commissions on leases for state agencies and $270,000 in commissions
on the sale of surplus state properties. He also acted as a developer for public-sector
tenants—putting them into buildings owned by him or his associates.
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April 7, 2010
Cory SchoutenMarion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi has said he has no plans to resign, despite Mark Massa's call Wednesday
morning for him to step down. Brizzi will be eligible for a public pension
if he finishes his second term Dec. 31.
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April 7, 2010
Cory SchoutenMark Massa, former general counsel for Gov. Mitch Daniels and the Republican candidate for Marion County prosecutor, calls
on Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, also a Republican, to step
down in the wake of an IBJ investigation.
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April 3, 2010
Cory SchoutenMarion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi last year intervened in a major drug case to offer a reduced sentence over objections
from both law enforcement officers and his own deputy prosecutors.
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March 20, 2010
Cory SchoutenMarion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi paid nothing for a 50-percent stake in an Elkhart office building he acquired with a
local defense attorney.
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March 13, 2010
Cory SchoutenRecords show Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi directed lucrative work for the Prosecutor's Office to his friend, business
partner and political contributor John Bales.
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Good ole' Obamacare. Thanks liberals and those who didn't bother to vote.
Yes. Blame those who were too lazy to go vote Obama out and those who voted him in again. That's my take on it. I know folks won't get it on the left. OK. Start berating me now!
Serioulsy, people are AGINST this project? Most communities would be salivating over a project like this. You'd rather have an empty eye-sore gas station and shacks posing as apartments? This project is exactly what BR needs. BUILD IT MR MAYOR. And yes, I am a BR resident, and have been for 20 years.
As a St. Vincent employee of over 20 years, I am saddened and disheartened by this announcement. Unfortunately, as the healthcare "industry" continues on this political and corporate path, all that St. Vincent Hospital has stood for spiritually for its employees and this community is being sucked dry. I know it truly has no choice. It is not just Obamacare or just competition or just any single thing. This trend started long before I was even born when the government became involved in healthcare and it became an "industry." I grieve for those who will lose their jobs, one of whom may be me, but I also grieve for this hospital which I have served for over 20 years. May God give us and it the grace to withstand the future of healthcare.
Why do people constantly harp on this issue and act ignorant about what a city population measures? A city's population is the city's population. There is no argument or debate about it. If you want to measure the density of a city--measure it. If you want to measure the size of a metropolitan area, then measure the metropolitan population. City boundaries cover different sized areas--and they always have (though the disparity has probably increased since about 1900 or so when more cities began annexing their surrounding communities). For example, San Francisco only covers 49 square miles while Houston cover nearly 600 square miles. No one argues about the population rankings of either city even though they clearly cover extremely different sized areas. Indianapolis is the 13 largest city by population in the U.S. That is a fact. While the population of a metropolitan area may give you a better sense of how large a community is, as noted, even metro areas can vary widely in the size of geographic area they cover--so that is not a perfect comparison either.