Marathon Pundit: Tony Rezko flashback: Rep. Luis Gutierrez

"Antoin Rezko, an entrepreneur of considerable charm who found riches in fast food and real estate, is known around Chicago as a collector of politicians."
New York Times, June 14, 2007.

Here's a 2006 Chicago Sun-Times story about one of those politicians, Luis Guiterrez, a Chicago Democrat:

Rep. Luis Gutierrez got a deal on a riverfront town house built by Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a developer and prominent political fund-raiser now under indictment for an alleged kickback scheme involving state pension funds.

Gutierrez paid $434,900 three years ago for the town house along the Chicago River just north of Diversey. That's far less than his neighbors paid for any of the other riverfront town houses in the development, records show.

Gutierrez no longer lives there. In March, he sold the town house for $610,000 -- a 40 percent profit.

Only two other original owners have sold their riverfront town houses -- one paid $535,000 and sold it for $650,000, a 21 percent profit; the other paid $622,000 and sold it for $662,000, a 6 percent profit.

Over the years, Rezko donated $19,000 to Gutierrez' campaign fund.

There is no indication that Gutierrez has done anything illegal, but the deal seems a bit sleazy.

Outside of Illinois, Gutierrez is best known for his membership in the "Impeach Cheney Club."

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