A longtime fundraiser for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was found guilty today of federal corruption and fraud charges for trading on his clout as a top adviser to Blagojevich.
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Rezko’s guilty verdict on 16 of 24 counts of corruption is sure to damage the political fortunes of Blagojevich, a Democrat, who made Rezko a central player in his cabinet and whose name was repeated invoked during a nine-week trial. But although Obama was not connected to the case that exposed pay-to-play politics in Illinois, the verdict could also prove a liability for him as he begins a general-election campaign against Republican John McCain.
In the early 1990s, Obama did work on low-income housing projects involving Rezko while at Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland, and Rezko became one of his early contributors when he ran for state office. More recently, Obama got help from Rezko and his wife to purchase a home on the south side of Chicago.
The 10-woman, two-man jury deliberated for 13 days before convicting Rezko of conspiring with Stuart Levine, a longtime Republican insider, to extort millions of dollars from firms seeking state business or regulatory approval. Prosecutors described Mr. Rezko as “the man behind the curtain, pulling the strings.” The jury convicted Rezko of 12 counts of wire and mail fraud, two counts of money laundering and two counts of aiding and abetting bribery. He was acquitted of charges of attempted extortion.
Clad in a light olive suit and red tie, Rezko showed little emotion as the verdicts were read, according to the Chicago Tribune. He could face $4 million in fines and 300 years in prison.
The trial hinged on the testimony of Levine, the government’s star witness, who pleaded guilty in 2006 and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. He testified that in return for kickbacks, Rezko rigged decisions of two state boards on which Levine sat. Rezko’s attorneys attacked Levine as a drug-addled con man who dodged a life sentence by inventing tales of illegal activity involving Rezko.
Testimony at the trial produced a series of sensational allegations that went beyond the charges against Rezko. Former state official Ali Ata told jurors, for instance, that he bought his post with bribes to Rezko and campaign contributions to Blagojevich.
The verdict is a blow to Blagovich, who ran for governor in 2002 on a promise to end corruption in Illinois government. The governor’s wife, Patricia Blagojevich, was also a business partner of Rezko’s for at least a decade.
Because of its timing at the start of a general-election campaign, it is also likely to nenew questions about Obama’s association with Rezko. As Obama was buying his house in 2005, Rezko’s wife, Rita, bought an adjacent empty lot. She later sold the Obamas a portion of the lot that enabled them to expand their yard. Mr. Obama has since called the transactions “boneheaded.”
The Obama campaign has said that Rezko may have raised as much as $250,000 for him over the years; the campaign has donated $159,085 in contributions from him, his family and associates to charity, the amount the campaign says can be “reasonably credited to Mr. Rezko’s political support.”
Within hours of the verdict, Republican National Committee Chair Mike Duncan released this statement:
“On the day Barack Obama hoped to unite his party after wheezing over the finish line and claiming the Democrat nomination, a jury in his hometown of Chicago convicted his longtime friend and fundraiser Tony Rezko of multiple felonies. This is further proof that Obama’s high-flying rhetoric is just that and in no way represents the kind of change our nation demands. Today’s verdict and Obama’s friendship with Rezko raise serious questions about whether he has the judgment to serve as president.”
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