A federal jury has found a Northwest Indiana mayor guilty of theft and conspiracy.
Federal prosecutor David Nozick didn’t mince words in portraying the alleged actions of George Pabey, mayor of East Chicago, Indiana.
Nozick told the jury, “The mayor of East Chicago, sitting right there, is a thief!”Soon after, the jury left to begin deliberations at the Federal Courthouse in Hammond.
The government alleges Pabey used city funds and city workers to fix up a second home in owns in neighboring Gary.
Pabey’s attorney Scott King says it’s hard for anyone to be called a thief, especially when it’s not true.
KING: It’s tough on the individual, whether it’s a mayor of a city, whomever it might be. It’s a heck of a thing for people to be accused of a crime and to go through what he’s had to go through.
Another East Chicago city employee, Jose Camacho, is on trial with Pabey. Camacho is accused of theft, conspiracy and witness tampering.