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BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

The revenge of ex-Secretary of State Charlie White?

Tony Cook
tony.cook@indystar.com
Former Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White declines to answer questions from reporters after he was sentenced by a judge in 2012 for casting a ballot in a district in which he no longer lived. (Matt Detrich / The Star)

Disgraced politician Charlie White is seeking to reinvent himself — as a tell-all political blogger.

His target: His Republican colleagues, among others.

The former Indiana Secretary of State recently launched The Indy Sentinel, a new website about "pols and media who are fair & those who live to serve the elites in both parties to the public's detriment," according to his Twitter account.

White, who was convicted of theft and voter fraud in 2012, said he plans to ramp up the website in the coming weeks — as soon as he finishes a reply brief for one of his ongoing legal cases.

Right now, the site has just two articles, including one about campaign donations to Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann and the state's Stellar Communities grant program.

"You're going to see a lot more of that," White said. "I got plenty to write about. I've got a keen interest as of now in the Republican Party. That's the group I was with for 25 years. I know about how everyone is connected, whether it's with each other or with different companies."

And, he added, he's got plenty of time to devote to the project.

"I'm not employed, so I have nothing else better to do," he said. "My law license is suspended for now. All I can do is say, 'Gosh, all I can do is try to make a positive impact.'"

The advent of White's new website has also been accompanied by a sharp uptick in his Twitter use. The account features an image of actor Leonardo DiCaprio raising a glass, along with a simple message: "Cheers to my haters. Be patient so much more is coming."

White was convicted of theft and voter fraud amid allegations that he lived outside his council district as a member of the Fishers Town Council, but continued to collect a council salary and vote in the precinct of his former residence.

White appealed the felony convictions after a Hamilton County judge refused to overturn the verdict based on White's claims that his attorney, former Marion County prosecutor Carl Brizzi, failed to provide an adequate defense. White's sentence of one-year of home detention is on hold pending the appeal.

White is also suing Brizzi for malpractice in Marion County, where a motion to dismiss is pending the outcome of the criminal appeal.

White also has a federal lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana alleging several of those involved in the investigation and prosecution of the criminal case — including the special prosecutors, three Hamilton County prosecutors and the Indiana State Police — violated his Constitutional rights.

That lawsuit claims his prosecution was the result of a political "payback" for White's actions as Hamilton County GOP Chairman. Several motions to dismiss are pending in that case.

Star Reporter Tim Evans contributed to this report.

Call Star reporter Tony Cook at (317) 444-6081. Follow him on Twitter: @indystartony.