Former Idaho prosecutor accused of stealing $10,000 from family member, police say
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Ruth Brown, Idaho Statesman
BOISE (Idaho Statesman) — The former Canyon County prosecutor who has faced multiple legal challenges was booked into jail last week after a family member accused him of stealing more than $10,000.
John Bujak, 50, of Eagle, was booked into the Ada County Jail on Saturday and released from custody.
According to the Meridian Police Department, an investigation began on Aug. 20, 2019, when officers responded to a fraud report in the 1000 block of E. Pisa Street in Meridian. Police said the victim told them that Bujak stole more than $10,000 from them over a two-year period.
“The victim reported that they had been sending money transfers to Bujak with the understanding that it was going into an IRA, but the funds were never put into an IRA,” according to Stephany Galbreaith, spokesperson for Meridian Police.
On Aug. 28, the same victim reported that they started receiving phone calls from a collection agency about a loan they never took out. The victim claimed that Bujak used their personal information and took out a cash loan of about $1,600, police say.
Bujak faces charges on suspicion of grand theft and misappropriation of personally identifying information.
PRIOR CRIMINAL ACCUSATIONS
This is not the first time Bujak has been charged over alleged financial crimes. He stood trial five times between 2012 and 2014 on felony charges, and no jury found him guilty.
Bujak’s resignation as Canyon prosecutor came on the heels of accusations that he had misused public funds. One jury acquitted Bujak in that case, while two others were unable to come to an agreement. Bujak also was acquitted on an unrelated charge of grand theft related to an estate he handled prior to becoming prosecutor, the Statesman reported in 2015.
The former prosecutor pleaded guilty in 2013 to contempt of court for violating a judge’s discovery order. In 2017, he tried to have that conviction overturned, but a judge ruled against him.
He was also a 2014 candidate for Idaho governor as an independent.