Posted on 06/15/2010 5:55:37 PM PDT by STARWISE
A close associate of convicted businessman Tony Rezko testified in Rod Blagojevich’s trial this afternoon that a onetime National Republican Committeeman loaned him $600,000 — no questions asked.
As it turned out though, there was a hitch.
Businessman Joseph Aramanda, testifying under a letter of immunity, said Springfield lobbyist and onetime National Republican Committeeman Bob Kjellander was “very receptive,” to loaning him the money so Aramanda could build up his pizza franchises.
Prosecutors appear to be trying to link money that was in Aramanda’s account to earlier testimony, which indicated that more than half a million dollars was routed through Kjellander from a state pension bond deal and eventually was to be divvied up between Rezko, Blagojevich and two other associates.
Aramanda testified that Rezko, who was close with Kjellander, arranged for a conference call in his Rezmar offices in September of 2003.
That’s when Kjellander agreed to loan Aramanda the money.
“Did he ask for financial records?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Niewoehner asked.
“No,” Aramanda said, adding he expected to turn over such material or to put up collateral.
Aramanda planned to use the money to rebuild a pizza business which he’d bought from Rezko.
Instead, Aramanda testified that once Rezko helped arrange for the loan, he turned around and demanded the money.
Aramanda said Rezko forced him to use the money to settle a $475,000 debt Aramanda still owed Rezko from Aramanda’s pizza franchise purchase.
Aramanda ended up paying $461,000 to people to whom Rezko owed money, he said. He said he used the rest of the money to try to help his pizza restaurants stay afloat.
Then, in April 2004, Kjellander called Aramanda wanting the one-year loan repaid early.
That’s when, according to Aramanda, Rezko arranged for another loan to him — from Jay Wilton, a California developer who’d recently been awarded a deal to operate oases for the Illinois Tollway. Wilton also was a major Blagojevich campaign contributor.
Aramanda used the Wilton loan to repay Kjellander the $600,000, plus another $24,000, which was presumably interest.
Aramanda has been in and out of the news since shortly before Blagojevich fund-raiser Tony Rezko’s indictment in 2006. Aramanda, however, didn’t testify during Rezko’s 2008 trial, in which Rezko was found guilty.
Aramanda was brought up in last year’s Rezko trial, but he did not testify. Now he’s cooperating with the prosecution, and is walking jurors through a complicated “follow the money” scenario that shows how a $10 billion state pension borrowing deal was designed to put money in Rezko’s pocket — money that Rezko allegedly had planned to share with Blagojevich and others.
In summer 2003, the state of Illinois sold $10 billion in bonds on one day to help prop up its financially struggling retirement systems. Bear Stearns, a now-defunct investment banking firm, was the lead underwriter. Kjellander was a Bear Stearns lobbyist who made $809,000 in a fee off the mammoth bond deal.
After the bonds were sold, Rezko told Blagojevich’s then-chief of staff Alonzo “Lon” Monk that Aramanda “was putting money in a separate account that would later be turned over to Rezko,” according to a prosecution court filing.
Kjellander has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime. He could not be reached for comment.
Earlier today, David Abel, a state budget numbers guru, got some laughs in the courtroom when he acknowledged that Blagojevich once said that the great thing about being a governor is that a “C” student gets to listen to what an “A” student has to say.
“You were the ‘A’ student and he was the ‘C’ student?” Blagojevich attorney Sheldon Sorosky asked.
“I did not acknowledge that at the time,” Abel said, laughing with others in the courtroom.
“Would you acknowledge that now?” Sorosky pressed.
“Probably not a good idea,” Abel said.
~~Ping!
John Kass
Blago jury in for a wild ride
*snip*
Blagojevich’s jury might become family, too, as they’re led from normal lives down into the rabbit hole, into the strange place of deceit and muscle that is Illinois politics.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/blagojevich/ct-met-kass-0613-20100612,0,7109969.column
Businessman Joseph Aramanda, testifying under a letter of immunity, said Springfield lobbyist and onetime National Republican Committeeman Bob Kjellander was "very receptive," to loaning him the money so Aramanda could build up his pizza franchises. Prosecutors appear to be trying to link money that was in Aramanda's account to earlier testimony, which indicated that more than half a million dollars was routed through Kjellander from a state pension bond deal and eventually was to be divvied up between Rezko, Blagojevich and two other associates. ... "Did he ask for financial records?" Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Niewoehner asked... Aramanda planned to use the money to rebuild a pizza business which he'd bought from Rezko. Instead, Aramanda testified that once Rezko helped arrange for the loan, he turned around and demanded the money. Aramanda said Rezko forced him to use the money to settle a $475,000 debt Aramanda still owed Rezko from Aramanda's pizza franchise purchase. Aramanda ended up paying $461,000 to people to whom Rezko owed money, he said. He said he used the rest of the money to try to help his pizza restaurants stay afloat. Then, in April 2004, Kjellander called Aramanda wanting the one-year loan repaid early ... Rezko arranged for another loan to him -- from Jay Wilton, a California developer who'd recently been awarded a deal to operate oases for the Illinois Tollway. Wilton also was a major Blagojevich campaign contributor. Aramanda used the Wilton loan to repay Kjellander the $600,000, plus another $24,000, which was presumably interest... Aramanda, however, didn't testify during Rezko's 2008 trial, in which Rezko was found guilty... Now he's cooperating with the prosecution, and is walking jurors through a complicated "follow the money" scenario that shows how a $10 billion state pension borrowing deal was designed to put money in Rezko's pocket -- money that Rezko allegedly had planned to share with Blagojevich and others. In summer 2003, the state of Illinois sold $10 billion in bonds on one day to help prop up its financially struggling retirement systems. Bear Stearns, a now-defunct investment banking firm, was the lead underwriter. Kjellander was a Bear Stearns lobbyist who made $809,000 in a fee off the mammoth bond deal... Kjellander has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime.
This piece is a good example of what many of us who support the Tea Party have been saying all along, that both dem and gop parties are filled with corrupt hacks that have only one thing in mind, to enrich themselves.
This is why it is so frustrating to see how the political party organizations whip up voters as if they were watching two competing football teams, and how people become cheerleaders for one party or the other based on ‘talk’, when in reality it’s about divvying up the spoils of the 2-party system.
Many of us who oppose such persons as FioRINO, Whitman are lambasted by GOP Freepers as somehow being moronic in not supporting the RINO candidates, because it will allow such persons as Boxer to continue in their positions of power if we don’t hold our nose and vote for the RINO.
But these GOP Freepers don’t seem to understand that this is a conservative forum, not a GOP forum, and that we are conservatives, not republicans. In fact RINOs are hated even more than liberal dems because with liberal dems at least we know who they are but with RINOs they try and talk the talk and think we are so stupid as to not see their deception.
And here is a piece that illustrates well how the 2-party system acts to enrich themselves first. And it is a highly prevalent “what’s in it for me?” environment that exists at both federal and state levels.
There is no difference between Repunlican and Democrats in CHicago...They’re all controlled by the same people. Infact there is even a name for the GOP, but for the life of me I can’t remember it at this time.
It’s all pay to play.
If Rezko got all this money, w h e r e i s i t ? Blogo is toast.
She is now a Republican but she has a track record of supporting amnesty, H1B visa expansions and other issues that RINOs normally adopt. She is also a supporter of Lindsey Graham. Google about her background and you will see.
She is no conservative. She is the female Romney. And her endorsements by prolife groups are mysterious as she was never a supporter previously. I think they were bought and paid for.
FioRINO has one thing the GOP wants, money. She has bought herself a ticket to a new gig, because after two disastrous failed CEO performances, no one willl hire her for anything other than her money. She got a golden parachute from HP, and most HP bloggers say it was undeserved.
Wow..
“Winston & Strawn was digging up dirt,” she said. “They accused us of deliberating outside the jury room. It was laughable. I knew I was way over my head toward the end, after we started deliberations with the second jury.
“That’s when one of my sons found a private investigator’s wallet in our backyard. It had a badge, a gun license, credit cards. Someone dropped it. I gave it to the U.S. marshals. I didn’t know who to trust anymore. We were being followed. It was just really like a movie. It was surreal.”
Sounds like it was planted to me. What PI is gonna leave his wallet behind? Oh..the webs they weave...
Lawyers/PI’s play real dirty.
Remember the movie with Gene Hackman
about jury tampering, Runaway Jury?
I believe it.
Republicans are just simply suicidal.
New bumper sticker idea:
NO MORE LAWYERS IN GOVERNMENT....WE NEED ACCOUNTANTS!
Meghan McCain has no previous experience in public office (thank God!) and yet we all know she's a RINO.
Sorry, but you don’t make the rules. Anyone who is a liberal, or sides with liberals, is a RINO.
“This piece is a good example of what many of us who support the Tea Party have been saying all along, that both dem and gop parties are filled with corrupt hacks that have only one thing in mind, to enrich themselves.”
That’s why after five years of the same tagline I really liked, and didn’t ever think I would change I decided to change it to what it is today:
I KNEW KJ’s name would pop up.
Yep .. and apparently it’s true. John Kass
has been describing the insidiousness of
the IL Combine collection of thugs from both
parties for a very long time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obama and the MSM Define Bipartisan the Chicago Way: It’s ‘the Combine’
Excerpt:
Think the Chicago Way political machine is all about corrupt Democrat politicians and their cronies? Think again. It’s bipartisan. While Democrats have run the Machine out of Chicago for decades, a supporting cast of Republicans has long participated in Machine enterprises.
Chicago Tribune reporter John Kass uses the term, “the Combine” to refer to the combination of Illinois Republicans working with Democrats to make hay for themselves regardless of who’s driving the tractor. As Republican power-broker Bill Cellini once said,
When we’re in [Republicans], we’re in. And when you’re in [Democrats], we’re in.
http://bigjournalism.com/tag/john-kass/
Good point Rabs! A RINO is a political belief system held by a person who has declared their party affiliation.
What’s a Democrat other than that, or a Republican other that. They are belief systems declared by people who have made a party affiliation.
If we can’t determine if a person is a RINO if they haven’t held office, how could we determine if a person was a Democrat or a Republican if they hadn’t held office?
Can we tell what Chris Mathews is?
Can we tell what James Carville is?
Can we tell what Phyllis Schlafly is?
As you pointed out, can’t we tell what Megan McCain is?
Of course we can. A person doesn’t have to have been an office holder for us to know where their loyalties were.
Whitman donated to Democrats, helped the biggest RINO we know of during his election. Fiorina did the same thing.
They are RINOs. And it’s is as troubling for me to see Megan McCain claim she’s a Republican seeing what things she supports, as it is for me to see Sarah Plain declare she’s a Conservative, when she can back the people she does.
“Whitman donated to Democrats, helped the biggest RINO we know of during his election. Fiorina did the same thing.
They are RINOs. And it’s is as troubling for me to see Megan McCain claim she’s a Republican seeing what things she supports, as it is for me to see Sarah Palin declare she’s a Conservative, when she can back the people she does.”
DONE!
;^)
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