This just in: Former Illinois Republican Governor George Ryan has been found guilty on all charges relating to his corruption, including racketeering, mail and tax fraud, and making false statements to the FBI. From the
Houston Chronicle:
Ryan faces up to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy charge alone, the most serious against him in the 22-count indictment. The jury found him guilty of all counts, including fraud, obstructing the Internal Revenue Service and lying to the FBI.
Co-defendant Larry Warner, a Chicago businessman and Ryan friend, was found guilty of racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud, attempted extortion, illegally structuring bank withdrawals and money laundering. . .
Prosecutors accused Ryan of steering big-money state contracts and leases, including a $25 million IBM computer deal, to his friends and political insiders while he was secretary of state in the 1990s and then as governor starting in 1999.
Consistent with his method, Prosecutor Fitzgerald took his time, built the case slowly, and started with the small fish as he made his way up the food chain.
As the Chronicle article notes, the case began as an investigation into a Wisconsin school bus crash that revealed then-Secretary of State Ryan's involvement in a scheme in which unqualified truck drivers were obtaining licenses to drive in exchange for bribes. Much of that money was diverted into Ryan's campaign coffers.
Eric Zorn of the Chicago Tribune fleshes out some of Ryan's problems in his March 14th article (having trouble embedding; link to story: http://www.chicagotribune.com/... ) predicting the guilty verdict.
Now that Mr. Fitzgerald has wrapped up this little piece of business, it will be interesting to see how the CIA leak investigation proceeds.
DCDemocrat posted a short but sweet diary (http://www.dailykos.com/...) earlier today regarding a friend on the Hill who intimated that Turd Blossom might be coming into full bloom sometime in September or October. Could it be true?
In any event, a nice big score for Fitz, for Illinois and hope for all of us that the current criminal administration will at long last be held accountable!