Indiana’s former elections chief was difficult to control and not allowed to take the stand at his 2012 voter fraud trial because he was a loose cannon, the attorney who defended him testified Tuesday. Carl Brizzi explained his defense strategy during a Hamilton County court hearing on ex-Secretary of State Charlie White’s petition to have his convictions overturned. White was sentenced to a year of home detention and was removed from office in February 2012 after a jury convicted him of voter fraud and other felony charges. The case stemmed from his use of his ex-wife’s home in Fishers as his voting address in 2010 while serving on the Indianapolis suburb’s town council and running for secretary of state. Prosecutors said White lived in a townhouse outside his council district with his then-fiancee but continued to receive his council salary and vote in his old precinct.
White filed a 79-page petition in March asking the court to vacate the six felony convictions, saying Brizzi provided incompetent counsel by failing to call any witnesses during the trial. White filed a separate civil lawsuit in July accusing Brizzi of legal malpractice and other professional misconduct.
Brizzi testified Tuesday in a Hamilton County court that he couldn’t control White and that a media interview his then-client gave was “a disaster.” He cited a rambling statement White made during his sentencing hearing as a prime example.
“It was all I could do to just keep him … to just maintain composure,” Brizzi said.
Full Article: Ind. ex-elections chief wants convictions tossed – SFGate.