Bad News for the Convicted

Mayor Daley's former patronage chief, Robert Sorich, was denied an en banc appeal hearing Monday. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned down a request that the entire court reconsider the convictions of Sorich and two others. Sorich, who was convicted in 2006 of fraud for his role in covering up political hiring in the city, had asked for a hearing to examine his fraud conviction for depriving the city of "honest services," a hot topic in recent years. While such a hearing is unusual, it isn't unheard of: The court held such a hearing after former governor George Ryan was convicted of racketeering. Two judges, Michael S. Kanne and Richard A. Posner, dissented, saying that the subject was worthy of examination, and that it was unclear if violating a series of 30-year-old court decrees could be the basis for a crime.

In other news among the federally convicted, the wife of Stuart Levine, the government's star witness in Tony Rezko's fraud trial, was granted a divorce today in Cook County court. Sherri Levine filed for divorce June 13. Rezko is awaiting sentencing.

Photo by Bridgeport Seasoning