South Bend Housing Authority fraud trial highlights former director’s gambling habits
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SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - The prosecution involved in the South Bend Housing Authority fraud trial rested its case on Monday.
The defense took over with the momentum on its side.
One of the defendants successfully got three counts related to conspiracy dismissed due to a lack of evidence presented in the government’s case. Two supposed co-conspirator contractors who pleaded guilty testified they didn’t know Douglas Donley.
Steve Peterson, a decades-long Housing Authority employee, resigned in protest when executive director Tonya Robinson was let go.
Peterson publicly stated they got it wrong. He took some of the blame for the scattered state of authority records, saying he made a lot of mistakes as the director of procurement.
Today also brought new information about Tonya Robinson’s gambling habits. An examination of her Four Winds Casino Players Club card showed she lost nearly $70,000 in 2015 and lost more than $250,000 the following year.
Both of those key years for the alleged contractor kickback conspiracy. The defense shot back with figures it feels are much more accurate. They come from Robinson’s W2G statement, the IRS form that tracks taxable gambling winnings.
It shows Robinson won $491,800 in a slot machine jackpot in 2016.
Figures from 2018 were also included in the exhibit; they show Robinson won jackpots worth $936,000 that year.
The trial could go to jury as early as Tuesday.
