The future of Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi’s weekly radio show on WIBC-FM 93.1 is uncertain following accusations
that have led Republican party leaders to call for his resignation.
Brizzi has not hosted his "Crime Beat" show in three weeks, due to a scheduled spring hiatus, said Charlie Morgan,
local market manager for Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications Corp. But station officials are expected to talk with the
prosecutor this week to determine whether to continue the show that airs from 3 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.
They say Brizzi needs to address the issues on his show that have prompted Marion County Republican Party Chairman Tom John
and Mark Massa, the Republican candidate for prosecutor, to request he step down in the wake of a five-month-long
IBJ investigation into Brizzi’s business dealings while in office.
“If he’s not comfortable with that, we’re not going to force him to do it,” Morgan said.
IBJ on April 3 exclusively reported that Brizzi insisted on a plea deal
for accused drug dealer Joseph Mobareki that would be acceptable to defense attorney Paul J. Page, despite objections from
both law-enforcement officers and his own deputy prosecutors. Brizzi also directed his staff to return $10,000 in cash seized
from Mobareki.
A year earlier, Page had arranged for Brizzi to own 50 percent of an Elkhart office building worth $900,000 without investing
any cash or co-signing a loan.
Brizzi, a Republican in his second four-year term, has said he has no plans to resign.
Brizzi appeared April 13 on the WIBC morning show and was questioned by host Steve Simpson about the accusations. Because
he’s already addressed the charges on air, Brizzi might be more willing to discuss them on his own show, Morgan said.
“He can’t completely ignore the questions,” Morgan said.
Brizzi could be absent from the show for a month, if he needs additional time to address the accusations, said Morgan, noting
he and WIBC are pleased with the show.
“I think Carl is a very good radio host,” he said. “I think he’s got some good, natural talents.”
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