Chicago Area Local News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Once-powerful former Chicago Ald. Edward Vrdolyak was sentenced to five years probation on Thursday after pleading guilty to federal corruption charges.

Vrdolyak, 71, had been eligible to be sentenced to 41 months in prison, slightly longer than three years. The former 10th Ward alderman and mayoral candidate pleaded guilty on Nov. 3 to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. That was the day jury selection was set to start for his trial.

But in court Thursday morning, U.S. District Judge Milton I. Shadur decided that probation was the punishment. Vrdolyak was also fined $50,000 and must complete 2.500 hours of community service over the five-year probation period - that's about 10 hours a week.

Before sentencing, Vrdolyak told Judge Shadur, "I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry. I apologize to everyone."

Vrdolyak entered the Dirksen Federal Building accompanied by his attorney, Michael Monico. The sentencing hearing began Thursday morning and wasn't over until afternoon.

The case prosecutors have brought against him involves what prosecutors describe as a single scheme: the $15 million sale of a Gold Coast property belonging to the former Chicago Medical School. His co-conspirator, the feds said, was GOP fundraiser and admitted thief and conman Stuart Levine. Prosecutors say Vrdolyak agreed to split a $1.5 million kickback with Levine, a board member for the school who'd agreed to persuade the board to sell the building to Smithfield Properties. Smithfield, in turn, agreed to pay Vrdolyak a 10 percent fee, or $1.5 million, according to prosecutors. 

The former Chicago political power said he did it because Levine was suicidal and needed money, then said, "I hope I'm past doing stupid things, I hope."

"It's not a case of public corruption, it's not a case of violence, it's not a case where a private person was injured even," Monico said. "We think that the judge was perhaps in the best position because of his background and experience to rule on this case."

The judge said he was moved to keep Vrdolyak out of jail, because of his history of serving the community.

Earlier Thursday, Shadur told prosecutor Christopher Niewoehner that the recommendation of a 41-month sentence was "overkill."

Before the sentencing broke for lunch, Shadur said he'd been bombarded by more than 50 letters from Vrdolyak supporters. He says the supporters wanted him to sentence Vrdolyak as "Dr. Jekyll while the government wants me to sentence him as Mr. Hyde."

Late Thursday, the U.S. Attorney issued a statement continuing to insist that prison would have been an appropriate sentence. Prosecutors are also promising no let up in their battle against what they call, "kickbacks and insider dealing."

CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said Judge Shadur thought the deal might not actually have been illegal.

"The judge is basically looking back on reality -- that there are such things at real estate closings where brokers get commissions, and has a problem right now with punishing Ed Vrdolyak for getting a finder's fee on a real estate transfer," Miller said.

The silver-haired Vrdolyak, dressed in a gray suit, slumped in his chair as Shadur started the hearing by saying he thought many white-collar criminals get prison sentences that are too light for their crimes.

But the former alderman perked up as Shadur began to criticize the prosecution and said Vrdolyak could end up getting as little as six months in prison.

Vrdolyak grew up above a tavern on the city's Southeast Side, and went on to become chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party. He was alderman from 1971 to 1986, and led the bloc of 29 aldermen forces that battled the late Mayor Harold Washington during Chicago's "Council Wars" era in the 1980s. The conflict led a national publication to dub Chicago "Beirut on the Lake."

Vrdolyak later switched parties and ran for mayor unsuccessfully as a Republican. He was also a key adviser to former Cicero Town President Betty Loren-Maltese, who was convicted in a scheme to loot the western suburb's treasury.

CBS 2's Mike Parker and Joanie Lum, the Associated Press and the STNG Wire contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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