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Former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White begins home detention sentence

Kristine Guerra
kristine.guerra@indystar.com
Carl Brizzi defended ousted Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White (pictured) at his 2012 trial on perjury, theft and voter fraud charges.

Former Secretary of State Charlie White has started serving his home detention sentence after losing a lengthy legal battle to have all of his felony convictions in a voter fraud case overturned.

The former Hamilton County Republican Party chairman was placed on electronic monitoring Friday, said Ralph Watson, executive director for Hamilton County Community Corrections. White began his sentence after exhausting all of his options in state courts to overturn his convictions.

White was convicted in February 2012 of six Class D felony charges, including voter fraud, perjury and theft. The charges stemmed from his residency while he served on the Fishers Town Council. Prosecutors said he voted and took pay as a council member of a district in which he no longer resided. White claimed he was living with his ex-wife, which was within the council district. But evidence presented during his trial in Hamilton Superior Court indicated that he had been living with his then-fiancee in a new townhome outside the district.

A jury convicted him of three counts of voter fraud, two counts of perjury and one count of theft. Hamilton Superior Court Judge Daniel Pfleging sentenced White to one year of home detention.

White spent the year after his conviction arguing in court that he shouldn't have to serve his sentence, citing his defense attorney's alleged incompetence. Pfleging in January 2014 decided that White would not have to serve his sentence while he tried to persuade the Indiana Court of Appeals to overturn his convictions.

Appeals Court throws out 3 convictions in Charlie White case

Last December, the appeals court threw out two of his three voter fraud convictions and one of two perjury convictions, citing double jeopardy, while letting the remaining three stand. The Indiana Supreme Court in July denied White's request to hear his case.

In an order signed last month, Pfleging resentenced White to one year of home detention. Each of the remaining three convictions carried home detention sentences that must be served at the same time.

The judge also ordered White to pay a $1,000 fine and to do 30 hours of community service.

Charlie White intends to ask U.S. Supreme Court to hear appeal

Star reporter Chris Sikich contributed to this story.

Call Star reporter Kristine Guerra at (317) 444-6209. Follow her on Twitter: @kristine_guerra.