"Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a convicted influence peddler who was once one of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's most trusted confidants, has met with federal prosecutors and is considering cooperating in the corruption probe of the governor's administration, sources told the Tribune.
Rezko's possible change of heart—after years of steadfast refusal—has sent ripples through a tight circle of prominent defense attorneys who represent dozens of potential witnesses and targets in the wide-ranging probe.
His cooperation would give prosecutors investigating the governor and his wife access to someone they have described as an ultimate political insider at the center of a pervasive pay-to-play scheme.
Rezko's trial this year laid bare a culture of scams, bribes and backroom deals stretching from City Hall to the Statehouse. It even became fodder in the presidential campaign of Democratic nominee Barack Obama, whose fundraising and personal ties to Rezko go back more than a decade.
Rezko has made no deal in the wake of his June corruption conviction, sources familiar with the situation said, but has had preliminary talks with prosecutors before an October sentencing that could put him in prison for years. Still, there are indications Rezko has already provided investigators with information.
Four attorneys have told the Tribune in recent days that federal prosecutors have telephoned them and other attorneys either with news Rezko is talking, or armed with details only Rezko could know. The lawyers speculated prosecutors are using the preliminary talks with Rezko to shake loose more cooperation from other witnesses.
"I had very recent a conversation with an assistant U.S. attorney that led me to believe they were getting specific information from either Mr. Rezko or Mr. Rezko's lawyer," said a defense attorney who said he represents a figure in the case. None of the attorneys interviewed would agree to be quoted by name, saying they didn't want to hurt their clients.
The U.S. attorney's office in Chicago declined to comment, as did Rezko's attorney William Ziegelmueller."
Hard to tell exactly what Rezko is talking about. The feds want Blagojevich, and the prosecutor's office has been leaning towards reopening queries into Rezko and Obama according to several sources with knowledge of the dealings.
It looks like Rezko was looking to have "friends" get him out of jail and now feels "screwed" and that's a bad place for him to be for his acquaintances and friends from the past.
September 28, 2008
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1 Comments
My guess is that it has finally dawned on Rezko that he is going away for a long, long time and he is not too happy about it. So far, he's been the one to take the fall for all the crooked politicians and policital players in Chicago. And not so much as a box of candy or a card from his good friend, Obama, whose career he funded. And I am sure Auchi is staying as far away as possible. So the money man is also long gone.
Reply DeleteRezko has only two choices; face a long time making little rocks out of big ones or to rat out the very people he thought he could count on for support in order to get a lighter sentence. When you are facing 20 years, five looks a hellofa lot better.
I understand that the federal investigators are saying they have enough on Blagojevich to indict him and have turned it over to the U.S. Attorney, Patrick Fitzgerald, who prosecuted Rezko. The question is; when Fitzgerald had Obama on the witness list and then refused to call him in the Rezko trial, will he run the risk of implementing Obama in the scandal? My opinion of Fitzgerald is that if he thinks his name will make it to the headlines again, he just may do it.
Rezko made a statement that the feds were trying to get him to turn a dime on Blagojevich and Obama (he said his friends but not by name) and I am sure he felt that before it was all over, they would come to his rescue. Instead, Blag and Obama have thrown him under the bus with all the rest of the people that Obama has put there. That's gotta smart.
We can only hope for an October surprise. Maybe if the feds are looking into the real estate deals between Mrs. Blagojevich and and Rezko, they are looking in ALL of Rezko's real estate deals including the one his wife made buying $625,000 worth of property in tony Hyde Park right next to Obama (closing on the very same day, oddly enough and from the same seller) on her claimed $35K/yr salary when Rezko himself had declared he was broke and living off friends and relatives. One problem with that is that Auchi had just loaned Rezko $3.5 mil and the feds found out about it so they revoked his bail and back to jail he went.
There is a great website that is following all the crooked crap about Obama. The owner of the blog is an angry Hillary supporter and is trying to expose Obama for what he really is; a crooked, Chicago player.
Take a look:
http://therealbarackobama.wordpress.com
And Mac, if you know anyone with the media that is not in the tank for Obama, maybe you ought to see if you can get some movement on this story along with the possible indictment of Governor Blagojevich.