Former Secretary of State Charlie White appeared in court Tuesday to appeal his guilty verdict after a jury convicted him of six felony charges linked to voter fraud.
White had registered to vote at his ex-wife‘s house, saying that he lived there. However, prosecutors argued that White actually lived with his current wife in a Fishers condo outside of his town council district.
White was sentenced to one year of home detention and blamed his lawyer for a weak defense and is suing him for legal malpractice. White elected to call his former wife, his mom and his former lawyer in hopes of getting a new trial.
In a post-conviction document, White says former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi gave him “ineffective” counsel and was ignorant of the law. White said Brizzi decided not to call witnesses during the trial or put him on the stand.
Brizzi testified Tuesday for about four hours and said it would have been a disaster to let White testify during his 2012 trial.
White and his wife will testify next week as the hearing continues.
