CLEVELAND New Detore lawyer gets date change

Detore's trial is now set for next March.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
CLEVELAND -- It appears Richard E. Detore, who has gone through five lawyers since being corruptly linked to former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., now has one from Texas.
Detore's motion to once again reset his trial date was submitted on his behalf by Thomas W. Mills Jr. of Dallas. The motion was granted Thursday by U.S. District Judge Ann Alrich.
Judge Aldrich ordered Detore, a Virginia engineer, to retain counsel by Dec. 2 and reset the Jan. 21 trial to March 10. The new dates were requested in Detore's motion.
Detore is accused of conspiring with J.J. Cafaro of Liberty and others to bribe Traficant, now imprisoned, with cash, gifts and boat repairs in return for official favors. Since his indictment in October 2001, Detore has gone through lawyer after lawyer, some of whom he still owes money.
Hanni was previous lawyer
Judge Aldrich allowed Youngstown attorney Don L. Hanni Jr. to remove himself from the case last month. Hanni said Detore proved to be a difficult and uncooperative client.
Each new lawyer has meant a new trial date for Detore, five so far.
Mills' Web site, meanwhile, states that he has been involved "in many large and at times colorful, controversial and legally significant cases." The diverse cases included those concerning a manager of Muhammad Ali's; Dallas School Trustee Dan Peavy; Darling Industries; Northrop Corp.; McCormick Distilling Corp.; nuns protesting nuclear radiation damages; and the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Co.
meade@vindy.com