Friday, December 14, 2007

Feds hit Tony Rezko with six more charges

Considering the volume of indictments flying out of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald's office yesterday, it's understandable if a few accusations went unnoticed--temporarily. But tucked away among allegations against Illinois Tollway restaurant operator Abdelhamid "Al" Chaib, were six new charges involving Antoin "Tony" Rezko.

According to the indictment, Chaib and Rezko attempted to artificially raise the value of six Rezko-owned Papa John's restaurants in a scheme to obtain loans.

Outside of Illinois, Rezko is best known as Obama's one-time property neighbor--scroll down three posts for more on that--as well as someone who can arguably be called the presidential candidate's earliest political sponsor.

Although Fitzgerald won't say it, the focus of his wide ranging probe has to be Governor Rod Blagojevich, who is indentified as "Public Official A" in the indictment involving former Bear Stearns employee P. Nicholas Hurtgen, according to a person close to the case.

Rezko is pictured above, whispering into the governor's ear.

Jay Stewart, executive director of the Better Government Association, had this to say about Blagojevich:

It's like the game Battleship, and the shots are landing all around him. If [the investigation] isn't directed at the governor, it's sure coming close to him.

Blagojevich's predecessor, Republican George Ryan, began serving his 78 month prison sentence last month--he was convicted of various corruption charges. One of Ryan's attorney's was another former Illinois governor Jim Thompson, who began a 26 year run of Republican governors in the Land of Lincoln, broken by Blagojevich in 2003. Thompson's predecessor Dan Walker also served time in prison: for looting a savings and loan. Two governors prior, another Democrat, Otto Kerner, was sent to prison for accepting a bribe.

Jim Thompson hasn't been accused of anything--except bad judgement. "Big Jim" served on the board of directors of Hollinger, whose CEO, Conrad Black, was sentenced to prison this week after being convicted on fraud charges.

Uniquely Illinois.

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