JUDGE MULLS POSSIBLE GERODEMOS RELEASE IN GAMBLING RING
A federal judge will soon decide if she will order James “Jimmy the Greek” Gerodemos’ release before trial after a two-hour hearing Wednesday in Hammond.
He will remain jailed for now.
An 87-page indictment detailing the alleged gambling and extortion activity between January 2021 and April 2026 named Gerodemos, 63, of Schererville, and Dean Gialamas of Naperville, as leaders of the Gerodemos Gambling Organization, which allegedly ran an illegal gambling ring out of two longtime Northwest Indiana restaurants, Gino’s Steakhouse in Merrillville and Paragon in Hobart. All 22 defendants pleaded not guilty to federal charges in May.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Benson argued Wednesday that Gerodemos would flee to Greece if released. He also argued Gerodemos would be in a position to intimidate witnesses by phone.
Defense lawyer Beau Brindley countered Gerodemos didn’t have dual Greek citizenship – which would allow him to be extradited. The lawyer argued his client would follow pretrial release conditions, because he didn’t want to end up back in jail.
During the hearing, Brindley said if released, Gerodemos would stay with his parents. His wife and daughter, Athena, a co-defendant, declined to sign off on his bond documents, worried it would cause a potential legal issue – i.e., “collusion”– if they lived together. Benson objected to the setup.
“This was his (organization), before it was his son’s,” Benson said, referring to Gerodemos’ father. “This isn’t any better than Athena.”
U.S. District Judge Gretchen Lund said she would issue a ruling in the near future and appeared to indicate she expected her decision could be appealed up to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“This is a gambling case,” Brindley said after the hearing. “The government is treating it like a violence case. It isn’t.”
LAKE COUNTY JUDGE APPLICANTS ANNOUNCED
Seventeen candidates are in the running for two Lake County judge positions in Hammond.
The Lake County Judicial Nominating Commission will hold interviews Friday starting at 8:30 a.m. at the Lake County Board of Commissioners room in Crown Point, 2293 N. Main St. It is open to the public.
The applicants are: Lake County Deputy Prosecutor Christopher Bruno, Anthony Pampalone, Scott Seville, Deputy Prosecutor Bradley Carter, Commissioner Amy Jorgensen, Magistrate Shaun Olsen, Ryan Rowan, Senior Judge Michael Pagano, Caleb Johnson, Andrew Martin, Magistrate David Urbanski, Commissioner Karyn Price, Referee Timothy Haraminac, Deputy Prosecutor Eric Randall, Referee Alexander Moffett, Helen Nowels and Deputy Prosecutor David Rooda.
After interviews, the Commission will deliberate, then hold a public vote to send “two panels” of “five nominees” to Gov. Mike Braun, a prior release stated.
Braun’s two picks would replace Judges Daniel Burke and Aleksandra Dimitrijevic, who are moving to oversee two Lake County felony criminal courts in Crown Point next year.