Former Gov. George Ryan “might as well have put up a ‘For Sale‘ sign” over his office door, prosecutors said Monday as closing arguments got under way at his racketeering and fraud trial.

“You’ve heard of the 12 days of Christmas,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Levin told jurors. “This was 12 years of Christmas” for Ryan, his friends and family.

Ryan, 72, and longtime friend Larry Warner, 67, a lobbyist, were charged in a 22-count federal indictment with racketeering, mail fraud and other offenses.

Ryan steered state leases and contracts to Warner and other friends. In return, he was rewarded with free vacations, loans for his brother’s business and even money to pay the band at his daughter’s wedding reception, prosecutors say.

And the band played on…and on and on!



  1. I’ll bet a public hanging would greatly reduce this kind of activity.

  2. AB CD says:

    then to top it off, the next several elections, the Republicans top candidate was a guy named Ryan! Jim Ryan, Jack Ryan, etc.

  3. James says:

    I hear congress is going to make him an ethics advisor.

  4. Donald says:

    Poor Governor Grumpy – That’s his nick name here in Chicago. – He was the main reson we lost the gubernatorial election to Rod Blagojevich who is another moron.

  5. Jim Scarborough says:

    Having forgotten the name of the boy with the inoperable brain tumor and desire to get in the Guiness Book of World Records, the title gave me to think this article might be about Craig Shergold and the flow of cards subsiding now that most everyone on the net knows he’s healthy. Alas, it’s yet another political crook…


0

Bad Behavior has blocked 4564 access attempts in the last 7 days.