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Jul. 15 - Jul. 21
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IOS motion denied
By Ryan Poulos |
A judge last week denied a motion for a speedy trial filed by defendants in the multi-million-dollar coupon fraud case against International Outsourcing Services (IOS).
IOS defendants Bruce, Lance and Steven Furr filed the motion for a speedy trial last month, citing the Speedy Trial Act, which states that a trial must commence within 70 days from the filing date.
The Furr defendants, in their motion for a speedy trial, said they wish to restore their good names and return to IOS employment and salaries.
The motion stated that, “The legal proceedings have taken a serious toll upon Bruce Furr, the 70-year-old gentleman who founded the predecessor company to IOS, Indiana Data, who has never before been charged with any crime, and now faces the prospect of defending a criminal charge directed at a business he started over 40 years ago.”
Prosecutors responded to the motion claiming that the case is far too unusual and complex for a speedy trial to be possible. Prosecutors said they are working with more than 116,000 pages of discovery and more than 10 tons of physical evidence, which will be made available to the defense in a warehouse in Milwaukee.
Prosecutors also allege that some documents have yet to be turned over, and that some defense attorneys might be obstructing justice.
El Pasoan Chris Balsiger, the Furrs and seven other individuals were indicted in March in the Eastern District of Wisconsin in a coupon wire-fraud scheme to defraud manufacturers, or coupon providers, of more than $250 million over 10 years.
The indictment alleges that IOS defrauded coupon providers across the country by submitting loads of coupons for reimbursement that were never actually touched by a consumer.
In her decision to deny the motion for a speedy trial, the judge stated that:
“The court has carefully reviewed the submissions of the parties and considered the arguments of counsel at the June, 2007, scheduling conference,” the order signed by Judge Patricia Gorence said. “Given the number of defendants, the magnitude of the charges, the almost overwhelming amount of discovery materials and physical evidence, the pending grand jury-related matters and the real and potential privilege litigation, the court concludes that the ends of justice served by granting a continuance of the speedy trial deadlines outweigh the best interests of the public and the Furr defendants in a speedy trial.”
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