A former employee with the Calumet Township Assessor’s office pled not guilty Friday afternoon to charges she extorted five business owners.
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During an arraignment hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry set a Dec. 1 trial date for Pamela Griffin Frizzelle, 52, of Merrillville.
Attorneys said they expect the trial to last about four days.
Frizzelle spoke little during the hearing, telling Cherry she did not need him to read the indictment again. Her attorney, Brian Woodward, said he had only recently gotten the case and declined to comment it.
Frizzelle was charged in a federal indictment last week with seven counts of Hobbs Act extortion. According to the indictment, Frizzelle worked as a level II assessor for the township, which included helping small businesses file their personal property tax forms.
The indictment claims she used that position to get five businesses to pay her a total of $3,800 for help in lowering their personal property taxes.
She was arrested a week ago and released on a $20,000 bond.
Calumet Township Assessor Jackie Collins said Frizzelle was let go this summer once her office learned of the federal investigation.
She stressed to township residents that they should never pay a township employee money to help them with something as township employees are all paid by the county and are not to receive payment from residents.