Illinois corruption update: Guilty plea in "pay to play" case

Just because Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been removed from office, that does not mean "pay to play" courtroom proceedings have come to a halt in Illinois. On the contrary, today a former top official at Bear Stearns & Company, P. Nicholas Hurtgen, entered a guilty plea related to the attempted shakedown of Naperville's Edwards Hospital, which wanted to build a new facility in a Plainfield.

According to the plea agreement, Hurtgen admitted to attempting to coerce the hospital into hiring a construction company favored by Blagojevich. Using the firm was "all about money" for political needs, Hurtgen said.

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