Marathon Pundit: Prosecution rests in Rezko trial

Monday, May 05, 2008

Prosecution rests in Rezko trial

As expected, the prosecution in the corruption trial of Democratic political insider rested their case today--Ali Ata was the last witness the feds called to the stand, who testified he had been threatened, as AP reports:

The government rested minutes after witness Ali Ata said he once wore a wire, at the government's request, to make a secret recording after an unnamed person threatened him.

Ata is the former executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority, a state agency that guarantees loans for businesses. He has been charged with a number of illegal acts in conjunction with Rezko and pleaded guilty in late April to tax fraud and lying to an FBI agent.

He agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in their investigation of corruption in state government and they immediately brought him to the witness stand in the closing days of Rezko's trial.

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Chief defense counsel Joseph Duffy immediately said the person who delivered the threat was not Rezko. U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve told the jury to disregard Ata's reference to a threat.