Criminal Justice
Rezko Defense Rests Without Calling Any Witnesses
Posted May 5, 2008, 12:15 pm CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Jurors in the corruption trial of political fundraiser Antoin ''Tony'' Rezko could get the case for deliberations as early as next week.
Prosecutors in Chicago wrapped up their case today after nine weeks of testimony, and Rezko’s lawyer did not call any witnesses, the Chicago Tribune reports. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve told jurors they will likely get the week off before returning to court on Monday for closing arguments.
Rezko is accused of scheming to get a $1.5 million bribe from a contractor and of seeking kickbacks from money management firms that wanted to do business with the state of Illinois, the Associated Press reports.
The government’s star witness in the case, lawyer Stuart Levine, testified about a fast-paced lifestyle of all-night drug binges and hotel parties. In one trial bombshell, a former state official, Ali Ata, pleaded guilty to corruption charges and said he had a conversation with Rezko in which he learned of a plan to fire the prosecutor investigating the corruption case, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald, the Tribune reported in an earlier story. The plan was to influence White House adviser Karl Rove to oust Fitzgerald, Atta said.
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