The first trial connected to the Coliseum fraud case could be just weeks away.
Paul Grazar was one of five former Coliseum managers indicted in 2017 for his alleged role in a multiyear fraud scheme that prosecutors say stole thousands of dollars from the City of Bloomington. Grazar was the former general manager at the city-owned arena’s in-house food and beverage company, BMI Concessions, a central part of the alleged scheme.
Grazar initially faced six counts of theft and tax evasion. But Judge Michael Stroh on Sept. 20 dismissed five of those counts, leaving only one count remaining—tax evasion (a Class 2 felony). That same day, Grazar’s attorney, Phil Finegan, filed a demand for speedy trial.
Grazar is now set for a jury trial Dec. 10, with a status hearing Nov. 7. He would be the first Coliseum defendant to reach trial since the indictments were unsealed 393 days ago.
Earlier this year, Grazar was in negotiations with prosecutors to resolve the charges against him. But those negotiations ended, and Finegan filed his motion to dismiss in June. He cited the vagueness of the charges and the statute of limitations expiration date. In response, prosecutors said the charges had enough detail to stand and were well within the statute of limitations.
Stroh dismissed the five charges based on statute of limitations issues. Similar issues have led to some charges being dismissed against two other Coliseum defendants, John Butler and Bart Rogers. Also charged in the case are Jay Laesch and Kelly Klein. Their four cases also remain pending.
The former U.S. Cellular Coliseum is now called Grossinger Motors Arena and managed by a different company, VenuWorks.
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