Posted on 11/22/2011 9:17:22 AM PST by STARWISE
A federal judge sentenced Tony Rezko to 10 1/2 years in prison Tuesday, describing his actions under Rod Blagojevichs tenure as selfish and corrupt.
Rezko has already served about 44 months. His daughter burst into tears at hearing the sentence.
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve said she found it offensive that Rezko put at risk the Teachers Retirement System by scheming for kickbacks with a board member in 2004.
You put their retirements at risk for your own greed and your own thirst for power, St. Eve said.
A pale, thin Rezko gave a brief statement before he learned his sentence, saying there are no words to describe the pain and regret, he carries and the amount of suffering his family has endured. He apologized to the court and to his family.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Niewoehner said Rezkos conduct was severe and included scheming with former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and others to control state deals so they could make money off of it.
Thats about as bad as it can get in a political corruption case, he said. Illinois was for sale at the very top levels of our government. Rezkos attorney, Joseph Duffy, said his client would never commit a crime again.
Rezko grew clearly agitated as Niewoehner said Rezko overstated poor conditions in county jail. Niewoehner said Rezko got sunlight -- through skylights.
Judge me by whom I surround myself with. Candidate Obama 2008
My sentiments exactly. And the prospect of the pardon will keep his mouth shut.
POLITICO headline.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/68935.html
Ex-fundraiser for Obama, Blago sentenced
I think Fed time requires one to serve 85 % of the sentence... I just did the math and Rezko will have to serve approx. 5 1/4 additional years behind bars (from today’s date) if the 85 % figure is accurate. He’ll ‘see daylight’ in early 2017.
that was my thought when I read the headling .. will he talk NOW? I can’t imagine anyone is worth 10.5 years of your life. BUT, would prosecutors be willing to offer a deal or would they rather protect some (or one) of Tony’s ‘partners?’
If he gets out of prison, he will still, most likely, lose his life so he can never talk. Either way he is doomed. Whether he wants to get back at the people who allowed him to be prosecuted is another question.
Generally speaking it appears you're correct (I just did a quick google search to confirm.)
I also read that it could be "as little as" 65%, unfortunately that'd put Rezko out AFTER the 2012 elections.
Not sure if Tony "singing" to the Fed's is going to change his sentence at all at this point. Appears the time to cooperate with Fitzgerald has passed.
Lets hope he sings like a canary.
Someone will till Rezco that he can get out under ‘good time half time’ even if he can’t. That will keep him mum until AFTER the election at least.
Zero wont pardon him unless he is backed into a corner.
Tony Rezko, ex-fundraiser for Obama and Rod Blagojevich, sentenced
Obama has promised him a pardon I’ll bet.
Which he’ll grant of course the day after the election.
or an illegal?
(I had originally overlooked his aunt and uncle)
I was thinking the same thing, a la Jim McDougall.
Chicago Tribune’s article omits ANY mention of Obama .. can ya believe that for so-called journalism????? Sheeesh ...
Media bias: Obama crony Rezko sentenced Tuesday; Chicago Trib article doesn’t mention president
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2810988/posts
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Interesting comments for Tribune article, and more to come for sure.
CaptAhab2 at 7:40 AM November 22, 2011
Tony Rezko is a witness to corruption on an outrageous scale right up to the President. He could testify to unprecedented levels of wrongdoing. Instead, he is being swept under a rug as quietly as possible. Crime is to be exposed and punished whereaver it leads. In this case the tip of the Rezko iceberg is all we have purposely been given.
The prosecutor has made the decision that the public does not need to know what lies beneath what little has been released about this man’s relationships. The prosecutor is wrong, it needs to be exposed and all participants must be punished.
This criminal made a carreer out of criminalizing Illinois politics, that’s all he did bribe, curry favor and profit from his crimes. All he did was bribe and steal. He had a lot of helpfrom politicians and unions, however Mr Fitzgerald and his handlers don’t think you should have any more involvement that paying for it all.
Expose the corruption wherever it leads. That is the law.
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catface at 7:54 AM November 22, 2011
This is why Obama hired Eric Holder to act as a “fire wall” between himself and “Operation Board Games”...Eric Holder would have been thrown under the bus months ago with the “fast and furious’ scandal but Obama needs Holder and now Holder needs Obama...What a cute couple...make me sick!!! and what is Patrick Fitzgerald doing???
A lot of nothing...If anyone thinks this guy cares about corruption they are very much mistaken...He didn’t even question Tony Rezko about the implications Frawley made in sworn depositions about the President...and the press has completely ignored the players in the Companion Security scam, I can see them not being able to get to Tony Rezko but Daniel T. Frawley, Dan Mahru, Stuart Levine, John Thomas/Bernard Barton are all out walking around free as birds and not one interview with the press....IF this was George Bush or a republican, they would be camping on their front lawns.
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JeffSiena at 8:10 AM November 22, 2011
why does the article mention nothing about his buying the property next door to Barrack Obama and reselling it to Obama for a tiny fraction of the purchase price......? I don’t understand , did I dream this? Why did the tribune leave that out??? Why would Rezko do this amazing outlandish financial debacle to give the president such a great epic windfall??? What was Tonys motivation in that particular deal??
I guess we the people are too stupid to understand why Rezko gave over $100k in value to a politican?? What did Obama think it meant to recieve this gift? Hope and Change..... ? Lying is in his DNA.
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alan62 at 9:55 AM November 22, 2011
Isn’t it magical how the media has forgotten how closely tied to the hip Rezko and Obama were? The Rezko who was one of Obama’s top fundraisers? Course, in the Tribune’s case, it is David Axelrod who spreads the magic. It is no secret that the Tribune operates at the bequest of its former employee Axelrod.
http://discussions.chicagotribune.com//20/ct-met-rezko-sentencing-1122-20111122/10?sort=asc
Politico, huh? Telling.
I think we can now call this a Rezeko Zot.
He’ll either be pardoned to buy his silence...
.. or simply be silenced.
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