Ryan Prosecution Rests Its Case

By Amy Hart in News on Feb 3, 2006 2:35PM

After 18 weeks, the prosecution in the George Ryan corruption trial finally rested its case yesterday, and the defense quickly got underway.

It will be difficult for the defense to entertain us as much as the prosecution did. They didn't provide us with a smoking gun, but they did give us Scott Fawell, pimps and hos, wads of cash, and money for nothing (but apparently no chicks for free).

Originally we thought the defense was going to try to paint Ryan as a misunderstood saint who was too busy doing his job to know what was going on around him. But based on the dirt dug up by the prosecution, we think Ryan’s legal team will instead claim his actions and behavior may have at times been unsavory, but not illegal.

Yesterday the defense kicked things off with a former Ryan employee who said the cash he always had on hand came from holiday gifts from his employees, not from bribes. That would make the first time Chicagoist has heard of somebody ever giving their boss cash as a present.

The big question is whether or not Ryan will testify. He has said he will leave the decision up to his attorneys, but we’re thinking that without legally damning evidence against him, he is better off keeping quiet.