HAMMOND | Former state lawmaker and Gary power broker Jewell Harris Sr. was sentenced Thursday to nearly six years in federal prison, the maximum penalty for his fraud convictions.
Harris took the stand and spoke in open court for the first time since he was indicted, but his attempts to recast the evidence presented at his January trial did not help him.
"I'm surprised that he would take the stand and try to controvert all the evidence at trial," Assistant U.S. Attorney Bernard Van Wormer said. "That tells me he's sorry he got caught, not sorry that he did it."
Harris spoke in a small voice during the hearing, apologizing to his family and friends and the court that oversaw his trial.
"I would only say that the jury acted upon the evidence that was put before it," Harris told U.S. District Judge James Moody. "There has not been any intent for a criminal act, but I have to accept the jury's decision."
Defense attorney Kevin Milner said Harris will appeal both his conviction and the length of his sentence.
Moody said he will recommend that Harris serve his 71 months in the Oxford Prison Camp in Wisconsin. The judge ordered Harris to self-report to prison Sept. 1 and to immediately pay the city of Gary $1.53 million in restitution.
Harris was convicted in January of double-billing Gary for work his hauling company also was paid by a contractor to perform in 2001. The work was part of the construction of The Steel Yard baseball stadium.
Harris argued on the stand Thursday the city was not the victim in the double-billing. He said contractor Rieth-Riley paid his company $91,000 for work for which the city also compensated his company.
Harris said officials from Rieth-Riley, the IRS and some of the truck drivers in the case lied on the stand about the work that was performed.
Specifically, Harris said he turned up evidence after his conviction that showed he was fully entitled to the $1.5 million he received from the city because he performed the hauling and disposal work under contract.
Moody said nothing presented during the sentencing hearing Thursday convinced him that Harris deserved anything less than the maximum penalty for the crimes.
