"Rezko scandals" latest indictment victim: Bill Cellini

The "Tony Rezko scandals" continue to add casualties. This afternoon the US Attorney's Office for Northern Illinois, led by Patrick "Fitzmas" Fitzgerald, announced the indictment of long time Springfield power broker, and nominal Republican, William Cellini.

AP has more:

Political insider William F. Cellini Sr. was indicted Thursday on charges of conspiring with convicted fundraiser Tony Rezko to shake down an investment firm for campaign contributions to a public official believed to be Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Cellini, 73, for decades a major behind-the-scenes Republican player in Illinois politics, was accused of taking part in an extortion plot to raise money for an unnamed "Public Official A," which is how Blagojevich had been identified in Rezko's indictment and trial.

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero did not immediately comment on Cellini's indictment. The Democratic governor has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Testimony at Rezko's trial alleged Cellini had spoken with admitted political fixer Stuart Levine about a plan to squeeze real estate investment firm Capri Capital for a major campaign contribution for Blagojevich, or a cash payoff.

Cellini's involvement in state goverment goes back to the 1960s. For most of that time, a Republican was living in the governor's mansion. When the current governor, Rod Blagojevich (who won't live in Springfield) became the first Democratic governor in a generation, Cellini acted as if nothing happened--it was business as usual for Cellini--who has enriched himself in his dealings with the state.

Cellini's indictment seems to make the indictment of Blagojevich almost a certainty.

Rich Miller has a lot more on The Capitol Fax Blog.

Read the indictment here.

An author's perspective on Cellini, in the words of Andrew Ferguson, from his book Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America:

Within a decade Cellini had built a fortune by "turning state government into a cottage industry," as one Chicago newspaper put it. He started a construction firm that specialized in government subsidized housing for senior citizens and office buildings that could be leased back to the state.

More...

When the state legalized gambling on riverboats, it sold him the first license--an $85,000 investment that led to a company later valued at $500 million.

Cellini was an investor in the star-crossed, state subsidized Abraham Lincoln Hotel. Alexi Giannoulis--scroll down one post for more on him--foreclosed on the inn earlier this year.

Cellini's wife Julie was the driving force in the creation of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Musuem. By all accounts she is the nicest of people. One of the museum's permanent exhibits, at least for now, is Ask Mr. Lincoln, presented by Julie and Bill Cellini.

Related posts:

Charged with shoplifting, Lincoln prez library head on leave
Tony Rezko's bi-partisan reach (and Abraham Lincoln)
Book review: Andrew Ferguson's "Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America"
UPDATED: Ill. corruption watch: The gov's wife and Bill Cellini
Illinois to foreclose on Abraham Lincoln Hotel
Thirty hours in Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois
Vote "Yes" for Illinois "Con-Con"

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