Topic: 
Pownce it!
- Obama Should Fool No One With His Tony Rezko Style “change”
- Obamas Friend Rezko Guilty 16xs Of Fraud In Pay-to-play Illinois Politics
Obama’s Friend Rezko Guilty 16Xs of Fraud in Pay-to-Play Illinois Politics
Antoin “Tony” Rezko, the 52 year old real estate developer, owner of several Papa Murphy’s Pizza franchises as well as several Panda Express Franchises and prominent Chicago fund raiser for Senator. Barack Obama was convicted (after a nine-week trial), on 16 of 24 counts of fraud and money laundering. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. The trial concentrated on kickbacks and bribes (shakedowns), prosecutors said Rezko arranged when he was a top adviser to Illinois Governor Blagojevich. Rezko was also considered a top fundraiser for Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
Tony Rezko has known Obama since he first entered politics, offer Obama his first job after graduating from Harvard Law School (but Obama declined), and was involved in a controversial 2005 real estate deal with Obama. “This trial wasn’t about Obama-Rezko, it was about Rezko-Blagojevich,” said Jay Stewart of the Illinois-based Better Government Association.
Much of the government’s convincing evidence was centered around “Political Fixer” Stuart Levine, a millionaire attorney and longtime Republican donor who contributed $500,000 to former GOP Attorney General Jim Ryan’s unsuccessful 2002 race for governor against Blagojevich. Levine who pleaded guilty to money laundering and mail fraud and was the government’s star witness against Rezko made a deal to probably get a 5 1/2-year prison sentence and forfeit $5 million.
Levine’s testified that Rezko, drawing on the political clout he developed as a Blagojevich fundraiser, stacked both boards with members who could be relied upon to follow orders when big-money decisions came up. Prosecutors said he used that clout to shake down companies and individuals hoping for state business for $7 million in kickbacks. Levine also admitted on the stand that for 30 years he attended twice-a-month marathon drug parties, where he shared drugs including cocaine and crystal methamphetamine with male companions.
Rezko’s defense attorneys argued that the government had weak evidence tying Levine to corruption after wiretapping his phones, and the star witness Stuart P. Levine, was not credible because years of drug use had damaged his memory.
While Obama’s name rarely mentioned during testimony, the case drew attention to Obama’s relationship with Rezko, a man Senator. Hillary Rodham Clinton proclaimed in one televised debate as a “slum landlord.”
Rezko personally donated more than $21,000 to Obama but, raised many more hundreds of $1,000s for his campaigns in Illinois, just not Obama presidential campaign.
Rezko also advised Obama on the purchase of a new Chicago home and, in his wife’s name, purchased a vacant lot next to the new Obama home at the same time from a couple who insisted on selling both pieces of property simultaneously. The purchase raised questions about the extent of his help. The Rezko conviction raises new interest in one of Obama’s oldest and most generous political supporters, a man he called a “friend” for many years, was a corrupt influence-peddler.
Obama, who has positioned himself as a candidate of change and clean government has even said the decision to involve Rezko in his real estate deal was “bone-headed” but that everything was done legally and above-board. Senator. John McCain, (R-AZ), the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee, is not expected to let the Rezko matter drop in the general election - so you haven’t heard the last word on Tony Rezko
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Testimony at Rezko’s trial in federal court brought up ties between Obama and Rezko, with a witness putting Obama at Rezko’s house for a party where the guest of honor was Iraqi-British businessman Nadhmi Auchi. Obama has said he doesn’t recall ever meeting Auchi, who was convicted of fraud in France.
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After the jury of 10 women and two men returned its verdict, Rezko surrendered to begin serving time immediately. He is slated to be sentenced Sept. 3. Rezko was formally charged with scheming with Levine to split a $1.5 million kickback from a contractor who wanted to build a hospital in northern Illinois and for favorable votes from the regulatory Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board and the $40 billion state Teachers Retirement System firms wanting to invest in the teacher pension fund.
Many other prominent individuals who were also connected with the fraud and money laundering were also convicted in separate trials-
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Joseph Cari Jr.., Former Democratic National Committee finance chairman. Pleaded guilty to attempted extortion after Levine recruited him to get a kickback from a company seeking Teachers retirement System (TRS) business. Told prosecutors that Blagojevich, Rezko and Kelly tried to woo him as a national fundraiser for the governor. Says Blagojevich told him at one meeting that as governor, he “could award contracts, legal work and investment banking” in exchange for campaign fund raising help.
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Nadhmi Auchi, Iraqi billionaire whom Rezko hoped would invest in the development of Rezko’s 62-acre site near downtown Chicago, according to Levine. Head of the giant Luxembourg-based General Mediterranean Holdings. It was his $3.5 million loan to Rezko last year which, when it became known, prompted U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve to revoke Rezko’s bond weeks before his trial, saying Rezko had not updated her on his finances and could flee to avoid trial.
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