Highlights
A politically connected businessman, Rezko was convicted of corruption charges in 2008 for trading on his clout as a top adviser and fundraiser to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Rezko was found guilty on 16 of 24 counts. He was acquitted of attempted extortion. The jury deliberated for parts of 13 days in downtown Chicago before convicting Rezko of scheming with Stuart Levine, a longtime Republican insider, to extort millions of dollars from firms seeking state business or regulatory approval. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama once counted Rezko as a friend and fundraiser. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 3.
A politically connected businessman, Rezko was convicted of corruption charges in 2008 for trading on his clout as a top adviser and fundraiser to Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Rezko was found guilty on 16 of 24 counts. He was acquitted of attempted extortion. The jury deliberated for parts of 13 days in downtown Chicago before convicting Rezko of scheming with Stuart Levine, a longtime Republican insider, to extort millions of dollars from firms seeking state business or regulatory approval. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama once counted Rezko as a friend and fundraiser. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 3.
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Fast Eddie better hope Poor Billy doesn't sing
Fast Eddie Vrdolyak has a nickname. Poor Billy Singer has none. "I'll never stab a guy in the back," Vrdolyak once told me. "Maybe in the front. But not in the back." He's been in the news lately because he pleaded guilty in a federal sting in a...Tags: Richard J. Daley, Gold Coast, Chicago Real Estate, Anchovies, Cook County Board
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4 months after trial, Rezko is still in the same lousy lockup conditions he complained about
It was a memorable moment in the run-up to the corruption trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko when the onetime political high roller complained to a judge that he had to share underwear at Chicago's federal jail. Rezko, used to a cushy life in his Wilmette...Tags: Prosecution, Corporate Crime, Rod Blagojevich, Wilmette, Corruption
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Casting agents abound in call to assist Obama
The other day, I asked readers to help President-elect Barack Obama pick his Washington brain trust—to help bring all that change we can believe in—and an amazing thing happened. A gazillion suggestions poured in to nominate a cast of...Tags: National Government, Rod Blagojevich, Jesse Jackson, The White House, Maxwell Street
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Judge rejects new trial for Rezko
A federal judge denied a new trial Wednesday for convicted political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, ruling that testimony and undercover recordings heard at trial supported the jury's verdict in June. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve found that...Tags: Prosecution, Judges, Trials, Rod Blagojevich, Witnesses
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GOP power broker pleads not guilty in alleged plot to extort donation for Blagojevich campaign
Tribune reporterWilliam Cellini straightened his tie as he stepped toward a federal judge Friday during his first court appearance on charges of shaking down a Hollywood producer whose investment firm was seeking state business. Long reputed to be one of the most...Tags: Prosecution, Dan Webb, Trials, Court Administration, Investments
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Unsealed docs detail profanity-laced fraud scheme
AP Legal Affairs WriterA federal judge on Monday unsealed eight documents detailing profanity-laced talks secretly taped by witness Stuart Levine as he planned with former political powerhouse Edward Vrdolyak to get a $1.5 million kickback. Levine, an admitted political fixer...Tags: Prosecution, Litigation, Corporate Crime, Executive Branch, Rod Blagojevich
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Connections could touch every somebody
Watching the quiet little man with the fresh Julius Caesar haircut plead innocent Friday to federal extortion and corruption charges, I wondered: Was I in Chicago, or in Rome before the fall? "Not guilty," said William Cellini, 74, in a whisper....Tags: Prosecution, National Government, Corporate Crime, Executive Branch, Rod Blagojevich
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Obama's cadre of advisers
Barack Obama's presidential campaign has turned some of the Chicago members of his inner circle into celebrities, while others have remained known only to a more local audience. Whether or not they take up a Washington address, here is a short list of...Tags: National Government, Trade Agreements, Hillary Clinton, Trade Dispute, Housing and Urban Planning
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Obama's new best friend
Yes, voters want change—and not just in Washington. Decade upon decade, the Illinois culture of political sleaze has cheated citizens of this state. Public corruption has distorted governance, thieved from innocents and alienated voters who now...Tags: John McCain, Prosecution, National Government, Corporate Crime, Edward Vrdolyak
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The man from Chicago
When visitors from other parts of the country arrive in Chicago, they are invariably surprised by all the appealing things it has to offer—clean streets, a gorgeous lake, gleaming architecture, top-notch museums and more. Some may have expected a...Tags: Hyde Park, John Paul Stevens, National Government, Milton Friedman, Rod Blagojevich
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Vrdolyak pleads guilty
Tribune reporterUPDATE: Former Chicago alderman and power broker Edward Vrdolyak pleaded guilty this morning to a kickback scheme involving the sale of a medical school building. Jury selection was scheduled to begin today, but U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur sent...Tags: Prosecution, Litigation, Harold Washington, Corporate Crime, Gold Coast
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What caused McCain's poll numbers to fall?
Today's question: What has been the most important development of the campaign thus far? What has been the biggest factor in the last week of campaigning? All week, Dan Schnur and Bruce E. Cain discuss the presidential and local elections.
Wall Street...Tags: John McCain, National Government, George Bush, Hillary Clinton, Berkeley (Alameda, California)
Nov 21, 2008
|Column| Chicago Tribune
Nov 19, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 20, 2008
|Column| Chicago Tribune
Nov 13, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 15, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 17, 2008
|Story| Associated Press
Nov 16, 2008
|Column| Chicago Tribune
Nov 6, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 9, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 3, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 3, 2008
|Story| Chicago Tribune
Nov 3, 2008
|Story| Los Angeles Times
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