Law

Jury: Real estate execs Bales, Spencer not guilty of fraud

February 7, 2013
Cory Schouten
SOUTH 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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Marsh defense: Travel was integral to company success

February 7, 2013
Scott Olson
Don Marsh's testimony on cross-examination Thursday morning revealed a defense strategy to convince jurors that the frequent trips the former CEO took on the company’s dime were more for business than pleasure.
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Bales trial in jury's hands after colorful closings

February 7, 2013
Cory Schouten
During 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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UPDATE: Defense takes turn in Marsh civil trial

February 6, 2013
Scott Olson
Don Marsh finally got off the hot seat Wednesday afternoon after his former company wrapped up nearly two days of questioning, but he didn't stay off the witness stand for long.
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Defense rests in Bales trial after flurry of witnesses

February 6, 2013
Cory Schouten
Closing 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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UPDATE: Jet trips during affairs were also for business, Marsh testifies

February 5, 2013
Scott Olson
In a day on the witness stand, former Marsh Supermarkets Inc. CEO Don Marsh told jurors during his fraud trial Tuesday that he's not proud of his extramarital affairs, but he insisted the private jet trips he took to visit his mistresses were business-related.
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FBI agent references Brizzi in Bales trial testimony

February 5, 2013
Cory Schouten
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

February 4, 2013
Scott Olson
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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Indiana agencies team up to battle unemployment fraud

February 4, 2013
Associated Press
The Marion County prosecutor's office is teaming with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to prosecute people suspected of committing unemployment insurance fraud in Indiana.
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Jury selected in Marsh civil trial

February 2, 2013
Dan Human
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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Barnes & Thornburg's longtime chief gives suitors cold shoulderRestricted Content

February 2, 2013
Scott Olson
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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Law firm adds pharmacy practiceRestricted Content

February 2, 2013
Hall Render Killian Heath & Lyman will draw on existing expertise within the firm to create the 10-member group.
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Defense attorneys turn tough in Bales trial

February 1, 2013
Cory Schouten
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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Simon unit suing Stir Crazy chain for unpaid rent

February 1, 2013
Scott Olson
The owner of Castleton Square Mall is suing its former tenant for $471,031 following the restaurant's closing late last month.
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Families sue to recover lost investments

February 1, 2013
Associated Press
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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Pence 'loser pays' tort-reform bill withdrawn from Senate

January 31, 2013
Associated Press
A tort reform measure from Gov. Mike Pence's first-year agenda has gone down in defeat amid opposition in a key Senate committee.
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Former Venture employee turns on Bales during testimony

January 31, 2013
Cory Schouten
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

January 30, 2013
Cory Schouten
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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Judge clears two horsemen from defamation suit

January 29, 2013
Kathleen McLaughlin
A federal judge has released two Indiana horsemen from the ongoing defamation and conspiracy case brought by Ed Martin Jr., a former car dealer and thoroughbred breeder.
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Bales defense: Elkhart deal was a 'scheme to help'

January 29, 2013
Cory Schouten
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

January 28, 2013
Scott Olson
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

January 28, 2013
Cory Schouten
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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NFL harpoons Pendleton man's trademark application

January 28, 2013
Bloomberg News
Thinking that brothers Jim and John Harbaugh might go head to head in this year's Super Bowl, Roy Fox last year filed applications to register “Harbowl” and “Harbaugh Bowl” as U.S. trademarks.
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Bales' trial could turn on definition of ownershipRestricted Content

January 26, 2013
Cory Schouten
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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Michigan lawyer claims Indiana prosecution was political

January 25, 2013
Associated Press
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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