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Coliseum Manager Wants Access To Seized Business Records

John Butler in court
David Proeber
/
The Pantagraph (Pool)
John Butler, the former manager of the U.S. Cellular Coliseum, at a court hearing.

The former manager of the U.S. Cellular Coliseum says Illinois State Police won't let him help review more than 70 boxes of business records they seized during their fraud investigation.

John Butler faces 44 counts of fraud, theft, money laundering and other charges. Butler and three other defendants who worked for him are accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the City of Bloomington in a multiyear fraud scheme.

In a filing this week in McLean County court, Butler's attorneys claim they haven't been able to conduct a full review of the 73 boxes of business records. They've been sitting in a secured room at State Police headquarters in Pontiac since Butler was indicted in September 2017.

Butler's attorneys claim it's "unsuitable and inconvenient" to make them travel to Pontiac to review the documents. They also claim that State Police won't let Butler join his lawyers for their review. They say that violates the prosecution's discovery obligations and jeopardizes Butler's ability to get a fair trial and an effective defense.

Butler's attorneys are asking a judge to have the records moved back to McLean County and allow Butler to be present when his lawyers review them.

Butler and the other three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Charges were dismissed against a fifth defendant.

Butler is due back in court June 21.

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Ryan Denham is the digital content director for WGLT.
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