Tony Rezko, the convicted fundraiser for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, is asking a judge to sentence him to time served.

He was convicted in 2008 of trading state contracts for campaign contributions for Blagojevich, and he immediately started serving time. That was three and a half years ago now and Rezko still hasn’t been sentenced. That’s because after his conviction he started cooperating with prosecutors, and they wanted to keep him in their back pocket to possibly testify against Blagojevich and his co-defendant William Cellini. 

With those trials complete the Rezko case is ready for sentencing and that’s scheduled for November 22.

In a court filing for that sentencing Rezko’s lawyers say he was shocked when Blagojevich explicitly directed him to come up with plans to make money from state government.  And they say Rezko got involved with Blagojevich not to make money but because he was offered unprecedented influence in what appeared to be a “promising new administration headed by a youthful governor with ambitions for higher office.”