Tom Cullerton’s lawyer wants details about ex-Teamsters boss John Coli, calling it vital to his defense

Insisting that the federal case against state Sen. Thomas Cullerton will hinge on the credibility of ex-Teamsters boss John Coli, the senator’s attorney asked a judge Friday to order the disclosure of crucial details about the ex-union leader.

Prosecutors apparently want to wait until closer to Cullerton’s trial, now set for July, before handing over that information. But Cullerton’s attorney, Daniel Collins, wrote in a new motion “there simply is no reason to keep that material in a drawer until the eve of trial.”

“Information about Coli’s credibility is central to the validity of the government’s case against Cullerton and is vital for Cullerton’s defense,” Collins wrote.

Attorneys for both sides have previously hinted at the evidence dispute in court, but Collins’ five-page motion laid it out in clear terms. Coli pleaded guilty in July in an extortion case and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. A few days later, a grand jury hit Cullerton with an indictment alleging he embezzled from the Teamsters.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office declined Friday to comment on Collins’ request to U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman. Prosecutors are due to file a response to Collins’ motion early next month, and a hearing has been set for Jan. 23. An attorney for Coli did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Ashlee Rezin Garcia / Sun-Times

Cullerton landed a job as an organizer for Teamsters Joint Council 25 after his former employer, Hostess Brands, shut down in 2012, Collins wrote. Coli told prosecutors he arranged for Cullerton to get the organizer job that year, “but did not believe the employment was legitimate,” according to the defense attorney.

Collins also wrote that media and other public sources indicate “Coli has been involved in numerous instances of improper behavior, including lying to federal officials.” He asked prosecutors for FBI reports or other paperwork documenting interviews with Coli, as well as “correspondence with counsel for Mr. Coli” to learn of benefits Coli received from his cooperation agreement, he said.

However, prosecutors said they’d rather wait until closer to trial and declined what they have called a “blunderbuss request.”

“Unfortunately, counsel for Cullerton has learned more about Coli by reading the newspaper than reading the discovery provided to date by the government,” Collins wrote.

Cullerton has been accused of collecting $188,320 in salary, bonuses and cellphone and vehicle allowances from the Teamsters, as well as $64,068 in health and pension contributions, while doing little or no work for the labor union. He also allegedly collected $21,678 in reimbursed medical claims.