Rezko receives sentencing date
By by Tony Arnold, Robert WildeboerRezko receives sentencing date
By by Tony Arnold, Robert WildeboerA convicted fundraiser for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and other Illinois politicians now has a date to be sentenced. Tony Rezko is scheduled to receive his prison sentence January 28th.
He’s been in jail since 2008 after he was convicted of taking bribes from companies hoping to do business with the State of Illinois. Rezko was convicted as part of the federal investigation into the Blagojevich administration and he’s seen as a potential witness at the former governor’s retrial, scheduled to begin in April.
Today, Rezko’s attorneys told the judge he preferred to be sentenced before the next Blagojevich trial. When asked by reporters why, Rezko’s attorney, Joe Duffy would say only, “Stay tuned.” Witnesses in Rezko’s situation aren’t usually sentenced until after they cooperate and testify so judges can weigh how well they participate as a witness.
A spokesman for the federal prosecutor’s office would not comment.