Results tagged “tonyrezko”

Lon Monk, former chief of staff for ex-governor Rod Blagojevich, reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors which saw him plead guilty today and promise to testify against Blago at the ex-gov's trial next year. Monk pleaded guilty to just one charge involving a shake down of race track owner Johnny Johnston for a $100,000 campaign contribution in exchange for favorable horse racing legislation. As part of the agreement, Monk would face up to two years in prison.

• Two Chicago Police officers were shot today while trying to execute a warrant on the Southeast Side. Each officer was shot in a leg and both were reported in good condition.
• The police shooting followed last night's violent six hour window which saw four killed and eight wounded in shootings.
• Gov. Quinn has joined the fray over Burr Oak Cemetery, appointing a task force to look at cemetery operations state-wide.

The controversy over clout is getting even deeper these days. Today, the Tribune published the results of its investigation into a "clout list" at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It seems that students with certain power connections - like Tony Rezko - have circumvented admission requirements and received special consideration in being accepted to the school. The Trib sifted through 1,800 pages of documents in their investigation, which revealed, among other things:

Less than a month since being sworn in as Governor, Pat Quinn is already surprising people with his pick of Jack Lavin as his Chief Operating Officer. While described as a personal friend of Quinn, Lavin also has an extensive past with both former governor Rod Blagojevich and convicted Blago fund-raiser Tony Rezko. Lavin previously served as Blagojevich's director of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. That was, of course, after working for Rezko as a COO and receiving $12,000 from Rezko when he mulled over a run for public office. Lavin previously worked with Quinn when Quinn was state treasurer in the early '90's. Quinn defended Lavin in an interview before he became governor, saying, "I don't think there has ever been an iota of information that he did anything improper." State Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno said of the pick, "Certainly he comes with some baggage that we have to be very sensitive about at this moment in our state's history, but personally I want to work with everyone right now to make sure we get through the very serious problems we're facing. I can only hope the governor has fully vetted his association and knows full well that they won't in any way, shape or form interfere."

• Mayor Daley is still pissed about the teen cop: "What bothers me is I’d hate to see it at Halloween if everybody walks in - a 12- or 14-year-old walks into a police station on Halloween, they'll be handed a desk. They'll give them a car. They'll give them a badge…That's a real concern that we have."
• Maybe MayDay's on edge about his upcoming trip to the United Arab Emirates, where he'll visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi in an effort to further Chicago's stance as a global city.
• The Expired Meter takes an interesting look at how budget cuts for the city, including shutting some offices, are making it more difficult to contest and settle parking and red light camera tickets.

Between now and Wednesday, we're counting down the top 8 stories that captivated us in 2008.

It's been a week since Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on corruption and fraud charges. We aren't surprised so much with the what as with the why. Still, it's a week later and, besides becoming the laughing-stock of the country, not all that much has changed. Gov. Blagojevich is still in charge, he's still signing bills, and - yes - he even still has the power to appoint a senator to replace President-Elect Barack Obama.

Chicago's most notorious fundraiser, Tony Rezko, has finally been given a sentencing date of January 6. Rezko's lawyers had previously asked for a delay in sentencing while Rezko talked to prosecutors, but Rezko attorney Joseph Duffy said, “He wants to move on with his life. No one likes living at the MCC [Metropolitan Correctional Center].” Rezko remains in solitary confinement, where he's been since his conviction.

In court records unsealed recently, it seems that Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak was ultimately done in by "buddy" Stuart Levine, who taped conversations between he and Vrdolyak in 2006. And if that name sounds familiar, yes, it's the same Stuart Levine whose testimony was the crux of the case against one Mr. Tony Rezko. Vrdolyak just pled guilty a few weeks ago to the real estate kickback scheme of Rosalind Franklin University's sale of a Gold Coast building. In the taped conversations, Levine is described as, "pressing his old pal for his share of a bogus finder's fee." The Trib recounts this more succinctly than we ever could.

Levine, a board member at the school, tapped his friend Vrdolyak to find a buyer, Smithfield Properties Development.

Continue reading "Fast Eddie Has A Potty Mouth"

U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve today rejected Tony Rezko's request for a new trial. Much has been made of how the conviction rested on the testimony of Stuart Levine. Sayeth the judge in a 34-page opinion:

The government introduced substantially more evidence than just the testimony of Stuart Levine to prove defendant Rezko’s criminal conduct, including extensive corroborating wire taps. When viewing all of the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, the government proved defendant’s knowledge and intent beyond a reasonable doubt. A new trial is not required in the interest of justice.

 

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich isn’t getting much love from voters but that doesn’t mean he isn’t swimming in gifts that range from an Al Franken book to samurai swords. The Sun-Times takes a look at Blagojevich’s 56-page gift log and finds some familiar faces. Convicted felon and former Blagojevich fundraiser Tony Rezko gave the governor a silver spoon in 2003 for his newborn daughter. Joseph Cari, who pleaded guilty in the Rezko deals, gave the governor Al Franken’s Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them). Blagojevich also received a gift from indicted fundraiser William Cellini, who gave a $50 framed print. A Blagojevich spokesman told the Sun-Times that he doesn’t think the governor keeps most of the gifts in the log, which came in to a total of $16,475.

We might have to add a new category to the Rod Blagojevich Death Pool -- "Before/After Patti Gets Indicted". Patti Blagojevich has been laying low at her new job with the Chicago Christian Industrial League, but that hasn't lessened the heat federal investigators are putting on her and her former real estate company, River Realty.

Tony Rezko's October 28 sentencing date has been postponed indefinitely by U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve since Rezko is still in talks with the government about cooperating with other federal investigations. A status meeting will occur in December. And for you conspiracy theorists out there: "The sentencing, originally scheduled for Oct. 28, just before the election, was likely to bring unfavorable publicity to Rezko's onetime friend Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama."

Since Rezko's felony conviction in June, the FBI has been investigating how the former top Blagojevich fund-raiser billed the governor and his wife for the work, who paid for it and whether Rezko ever arranged for cash to be passed in envelopes to the Blagojeviches, several sources familiar with the probe told the Chicago Sun-Times.

A new ad by John McCain attempts to connect Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to the storied Chicago "Machine." The ad connects Obama to Rezko, Emil Jones, and beleaguered Governor Rod Blagojevich. The Obama Campaign has responded by calling the new ad a “false, gratuitous attack." Obama's ties to the local political structure have previously been examined by the Trib and, more famously, in The New Yorker this summer, an article that was over-shadowed by The Great Cover Controversy of 2008.

Lawyers for Tony Rezko filed papers in court on Friday asking a Federal judge to overturn Rezko's conviction on the grounds that the testimony of Stuart Levine was "unreliable." Said Rezko attorney Mariah Moran: "The court should order a new trial on the ground that the record in this case, polluted as it is by the inherently unreliable testimony of Levine, leaves such a strong doubt as to Rezko's guilt that it would be a miscarriage of justice to let the verdict stand."

While the news yesterday was saturated with reports of the plethora of homes and condos John McCain owns around the country, his campaign was launching a new ad hitting Obama on his Rezko connections.

Ah, Tony Rezko, we almost forgot about you. A federal judge today delayed Rezko's sentencing from September 3 until October 28 after Rezko's lawyers asked for more time to prepare. In the meantime, Rezko remains at the Metropolitan Correction Center. [S-T]

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.

Now that Tony Rezko's trial is over, Judge Amy St. Eve has unsealed several defense documents, and boy oh boy, are they a treat.

Rod Blagojevich, the clock is ticking. The Trib says an "investigative arc" is now "pointed directly" at Blago, the Sun-Times wonders if he's "next," and even the AP says Rezko's conviction "intensifies the spotlight" on our governor. None if it's news exactly; if you've paid attention to the trial at all, it's clear that Rezko and Blagojevich had a substantial relationship, and Ali Ata's damning testimony alone should lead to a thorough investigation of the governor's patronage policies. But even if Blago never faces a formal charge—which...doubtful, but go with it—he's still deeply tied to and good friends with unsavory players. Rezko had a meaningful role in the Blagministration, which demonstrates that our governor either has terrible taste in associates or an absurdly high tolerance for law-breaking.

Tony Rezko has been found guilty on 16 of the 24 counts he was charged with, including aiding and abetting bribery and money laundering. Some jurors will be talking to the media later this evening, and while it's not clear yet exactly how much time in prison Rezko is facing, it's definitely a lot. [CBS 2]

The jury in the Tony Rezko case has reached a verdict, which will be announced at 3:45pm. That gives us all just enough time guess how it'll come out: Guilty on all charges? Just some of the 24 counts? Or will Rezko be a free man? [S-T]

The University of Chicago Medical Center will be opening a physicians' office downtown, which the Trib says is "another attempt to compete with Northwestern Memorial Hospital on its home turf." [Trib]

When we first imagined making a movie of the Tony Rezko trial, it was an intense courtroom drama, rife with "I object!"s and such. Much brooding. Perhaps a lawyer who Reaches! His! Limit! and knocks a water pitcher off a table in a moment of rage, or maybe a bright up-and-coming associate who finally shows she knows how to roll with the big boys. Lots of smarmy judgment every time Rezko's lawyers say "." And maybe a flashback sequence or two to the good old days at the Purple Hotel. (All drug scenes must be set to the opening portion of "Baba O'Riley.")

The prosecution rested its case against Tony Rezko today, and the defense declined to call any witnesses. Judge Amy St. Eve asked Rezko if he understood what waiving his right to testify meant, and satisfied that he did, she took three defense motions under advisement. St. Eve is going to give the jury a week off and reconvene Monday for closing arguments.

The Tony Rezko trial continues today, and the hits just keep on coming. Today's boldface name? Dennis Hastert, whom a witness said would help replace US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, who was investigating Rezko.