Federal judges ruled against former Lake County Surveyor George Van Til’s appeal, noting that he waived his right to appeal when he pled guilty.
Judges with the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals did not take up the rest of Van Til’s argument on his restitution.
Van Til, who pled guilty in December 2013 to using his public office and employees to help run his re-election campaigns, had reached a plea agreement with federal attorneys that, in part, included Van Til waiving his right to an appeal.
However, Van Til appealed the $26,502 restitution that was included as part of his sentence, arguing in his appeal that restitution was not a specified part of his appeal. He argued that the government did not have evidence to support the restitution amount and that it should be closer to $13,000.
However, the judges said in the opinion, issued earlier this month, that U.S. District Judge James Moody made it clear during Van Til’s change of plea hearing that restitution was part of what he was waiving.
“Taken as a whole, this discussion adequately warned Van Til about the full scope of the waiver and in particular its coverage of restitution,” the opinion says.
Van Til, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison, is serving his time the Federal Correctional Institute in Terre Haute. He’s expected to be released in August.