Blago Indictment Today?

[Annie]

A conviction is a conviction. We'll go rep for rep. Deal?

HEY! You are horning in on my bet for rep!

I'll give you the same deal Annie

Ok, both you and CW can rep me lots.

 

[Annie]

Well a few minutes ago they said there may be a press release this afternoon. No definite news.

 

[random3434]

I hope when the conviction comes out he's on the tilt-a-whirl, and his hair gets stuck in a chain, and it ends up looking like this:

 

[Indiana Oracle]

Blago is one of the typical criminals one finds in public life in Chicago where I once lived.

Illinois and Chicago politics are the latrine of the midwest.

The only way that jackass has a high-probability of being convicted is if the whole operation is run outside of Illinois.

 

[CrimsonWhite]

I hope when the conviction comes out he's on the tilt-a-whirl, and his hair gets stuck in a chain, and it ends up looking like this:

Yep, cuz his butthole will look something like this-

 

[Truthmatters]

I hope they throw the book at him and he gets to whorship Elvis from prison for the rest of his life.

 

[Indiana Oracle]

Expect one aspect of his incarceration is depicted well by CrimsonWhite. Sort of like returning the favor.

 

[auditor0007]

Hmmm, I'm beginning to wonder if the prosecutor got whacked on the way to court.

 

[CrimsonWhite]

And its done. The douche has finally been indicted.

Story here:

BREAKING: Blagojevich, his brother, top aides indicted

 

[Annie]

It's done:

Blagojevich Indicted on Fraud, Extortion and Racketeering Charges

lagojevich Indicted on Fraud, Extortion and Racketeering Charges
By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 2, 2009; 6:55 PM

CHICAGO, April 2 -- A federal grand jury charged former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich on Thursday with racketeering, extortion and fraud, opening a new chapter in the prosecution of the voluble Democrat who could spend years behind bars if convicted.

The 75-page indictment, which also charged Blagojevich's brother and several close aides, describes a political operation designed from the beginning of his first term to strengthen the governor's hold on power and make money that Blagojevich would receive after he left office.

Blagojevich, who was impeached and removed from office after his Dec. 9 arrest, was charged with 16 counts, including 11 counts of wire fraud, three counts of extortion and one count of lying to federal investigators.

He remains free on bond. No court hearing has been scheduled.

The indictment charges that Blagojevich gave two friends, convicted developer Antoin Rezko and indicted businessman Christopher Kelly, significant authority over state boards and commissions, knowing they would profit from their roles.

In return, prosecutors contend, Rezko and Kelly generated millions in campaign contributions and provided "financial benefits" to Blagojevich and his family.

According to the indictment, Blagojevich began to profit from Rezko's work early in the first of his two terms as governor. In August 2003, Rezko paid Blagojevich's wife Patty $14,396 for a real estate deal in Chicago, although she had not performed any services.

The payments soon grew, rising to $12,000 a month for a stretch of time in 2003 and 2004 for real estate brokerage services. He also allegedly gave her $40,000 in January 2004 for brokerage services, although her role was minor, prosecutors contend.

Rezko also allegedly gave Blagojevich's former counsel and chief of staff, Lon Monk, a series of $10,000 payments totaling $70,000 to $90,000.

Monk was charged in the indictment. Also charged was Blagojevich's brother Robert, who became chairman of the governor's campaign fund in August.

Another former chief of staff, John Harris, and businessmen Christopher Kelly and William Cellini, were also charged.

Rezko, a prodigious Democratic fundraiser convicted of influence peddling, has been interviewed by prosecutors. He became an issue in the 2008 presidential campaign because of his former ties to President Obama, for whom he raised money.

In what Obama has described as a "boneheaded" move on his part, the future presidential candidate and Rezko bought adjacent properties in Chicago's Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood from the same owner in July 2005.

Obama paid $1.6 million for a house and Rezko bought the vacant lot next door. Obama later purchased a slice of Rezko's property to expand his yard. He said Rezko did not ask for any favors and was not granted any.

Blagojevich lay at the center of a painstaking, years-long investigation of corruption in a state that has become infamous for it. It was a world he knew well and campaigned against -- his predecessors in Congress and the governor's residence were both convicted of federal crimes -- but in the words of prosecutors, he was worse.

"Even those of us who had questions about the governor's ethics could not have imagined how nakedly he would have approached this," said Dave Lundy, acting executive director of the Better Government Association. "This spells out a guy who looked at the governor's office as something he could sell."

The six-year investigation, dubbed Operation Board Games, has led to charges against 17 people, and Lundy said, "It's pretty clear this is not the end of this process. There are many more shoes to drop."...

Hard to believe, but yes, there's more.

 

[Annie]

Well I was right on this.

Now, will I be right on the prediction that more may go down, thanks to Blago? I'll admit while I'm quite certain of a Blago conviction, not so sure about the others:

Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion: Blago Meets RICO

Thursday, April 2, 2009
Blago Meets RICO
As predicted on this Blog several months ago, the indictment of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been handed down, and it includes a sweeping RICO charge alleging that Blagojevich and others conducted a criminal enterprise, which the indictment calls the Blagojevich Enterprise. That enterprise consisted of Blagojevich, the Office of the Governor, and the campaign fundraising entity Friends of Rod Blagojevich.

The other defendants are Christopher Kelly, Chairman of Friends of Blagojevich; Blagojevich's brother, Robert; Alonzo Monk, former chief of Blagojevich's campaigns and a key fundraiser; William Cellini Sr., a Springfield businessman who was a long-time associate of Blagojevich; and John Harris, former Chief of Staff in the Governor's Office.
...

There were some new allegations, as reported by the Chicago Tribune:
While those allegations are repeated in today's charges, the 19-count indictment also includes allegations that convicted insider Antoin "Tony" Rezko steered real estate commissions to former first lady Patti Blagojevich despite her performing no work and paid cash to Monk for a car and home improvements. The indictment claims Blagojevich attempted to extort a U.S. congressman for campaign cash by withholding a $2 million state grant to a public school in the congressman's district.

All told, the ex-governor faces 16 felony counts, including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion conspiracy and lying to federal agents. The government is seeking forfeiture of $188,370 from Blagojevich and will try to take his Ravenswood Manor home if needed.

Obama fundraiser, supporter, and neighbor Rezko is mentioned throughout the Indictment as being a key participant in the Blagojevich Enterprise, but is not a named defendant. Valerie Jarrett, Rahm Emanuel, and Roland Burris, all of whom played a prominent role in the posturing surrounding Blagojevich's impeachment, are not mentioned in the Indictment. But the Indictment does reference contacts with persons believed to be in contact with Obama:...

 

[Indiana Oracle]

Share the same views. Best hope is that the rest is conducted outside Illinois but The Prophet may be "deeply disappointed", so that may not work either.

 

[auditor0007]

C'mon everyone, this was just normal Chicago politics. Blago didn't do anything wrong. He'll get off.

 

[Indiana Oracle]

Understand the principle. As I see it from here in NW Indiana, he was tagged primarily because of a protracted history of screwing with the Illinois legislature, being embarassingly crooked and other sins. They were looking for a way to get him.

The only way he is going to get off, and I have long thought this, is if he has a book on the right legislators and, ideally, some of The Prophet's cronies.

 

[Annie]

C'mon everyone, this was just normal Chicago politics. Blago didn't do anything wrong. He'll get off.

All I have to say is George Ryan. Dan Walker. Otto Kerner.