Convicted of corruption, 12 still await sentencing

It has been more than four years since Jacob Kiferbaum pleaded guilty in a kickback scheme involving a hospital that needed state approval for a construction project, one of the earliest corruption scandals under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

The north suburban construction magnate is one of 12 men convicted in Illinois political corruption cases who still await sentencing months -- in some cases, years -- after their convictions.

The lone exception among them: Tony Rezko, who was a major campaign fund-raiser for Blagojevich, among other politicians.

Like the others, Rezko still hasn't been sentenced. But he chose to surrender to authorities immediately after a federal jury in Chicago convicted him in June 2008 of wide-ranging corruption involving state deals under Blagojevich. So far, the Wilmette businessman has served 18 months behind bars -- even before the judge imposes a sentence for his crimes.

What's keeping them out of prison? For most, it's the help they're offering authorities in ongoing cases, involving Blagojevich and others -- cooperation that could cut their prison time.

Here's how FUBAR the IL GOP is. And we in IL are so screwed, that whomever you vote for it always comes down to BOHICA.

Stuart Levine | Pleaded guilty: Oct. 27, 2006.
A longtime Republican power broker, Levine, 63, remained in state government when Democrat Blagojevich reappointed him to two state boards -- the Teachers' Retirement System and the Health Facilities Planning Board -- where Levine oversaw kickback schemes.

'The Combine' runs IL and the FEDS are our only hope of cleaning out the vermin.

I'd be outta here for Montana in a NY minute if I could.
But the wife won't budge, too much family here.

Another 'longtime Republican power broker' whose one step ahead of the law is Bob 'KJ' Kjellander. And that mutt had the SUPREME cover - Karl Rove is his 'best friend'. So for eight years the RINO White House ran the IL GOP and Rove pretty much picked our RINO candidates through KJ.

“Too bad this couldn’t be tied into our fearless leader, I am sure he has many skeletons in his closet.”

The article raises an interesting question:
“What’s keeping them out of prison?”
but never offers up the most obvious explanation:
it helps to have friends in high places. Two of
those awaiting sentencing almost surely have “the goods”
to put Obama in prison (were prosecutors willing to
connect the dots): Stuart Levine and Tony Rezko.

“In the 58-page plea deal, Mr. Levine conceded that he conspired with top Blagojevich fund-raiser and adviser Antoin “Tony” Rezko to shake down firms that sought to do business with a state pension fund and an agency that regulates hospital construction.” [http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=22634]
Thus, both individuals surely know the role Obama played as an Illinois Senator in stacking the Health Facilities Planning Board to facilitate this corruption. Likewise, Rezko surely knows all the details and “expectations” involved in his sweetheart real estate deal with the current occupant of the White House.

We now known a decade after the fact from a tell-all book that “prosecutors investigating Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton were prepared to seek indictments of them for their roles in the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky affairs.” [http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/nation/book-prosecutors-were-prepared-to-indict-clintons-1027179.html] Isn’t it convenient this information never saw the light of day until well after it might affect the political fortunes of Bill or Hillary? Who will write the tell-all book on why federal prosecutors in Chicago never pursued a rather obvious avenue of investigation that involves a sitting president of the U.S.?

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