GARY | Former political powerbroker Jewell Harris Sr. says he's out of money, but that's not stopping the government from trying to seize whatever assets he may still have.
Meanwhile, Harris is appealing his January federal jury conviction on six counts of fraud and money laundering, claiming defense attorney Kevin Milner failed to present any of the photos or documents that could have exonerated him in the jury's eyes.
"I am very, very puzzled as to why all of the documents ... were not presented to the jury, nor the court, by the defense," Harris said Wednesday in an interview with The Times.
Harris has a new attorney handling the appeal of the six-year prison sentence for the Gary double-billing scheme in July 2001 for which he was convicted in Hammond federal court.
Harris was found guilty of billing the city of Gary and contractor Rieth-Riley Construction for the same hauling working during construction of The Steel Yard baseball stadium in 2001.
Many of the documents cited by Harris were presented during a July 31 sentencing hearing but not in the jury's presence during his January trial. U.S. District Judge James Moody has rejected the arguments and sentenced Harris to the maximum recommended sentence in prison.
Milner did not return calls for comment Wednesday.
Harris, 68, a former state lawmaker and mayoral adviser, filed paperwork in Hammond federal court Tuesday asking for special permission to avoid paying the $450 filing fee for a federal appeal because he has no regular income other than Social Security and a steelworker's pension.
Asked on a federal form how much cash he had on hand, Harris responded: "$0."
Yet he has been ordered to pay about $1.5 million in restitution to the city of Gary.
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Paul Cherry ordered two banks and two of Harris' businesses to turn over anything of value belonging to Harris that could be used to fulfill the debt.
The original 2006 indictment against Harris said if he was convicted, the government intended to force Harris to forfeit all funds and company equipment used in the commission of the crime at Enterprise Trucking and Waste Hauling Inc.
