Jan 29, 2008 6:08 pm US/Central
Judge Orders Rezko To Stay In Jail
High-Profile Political Fundraiser Was Sent To Jail Monday After Bond Was Revoked
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Tony Rezko Tuesday afternoon lost another bid for release on bond. He and his big campaign contributions connected to both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton became notorious nationally last week. As CBS 2 Political Editor Mike Flannery reports, federal Judge Amy J. St. Eve ruled there's a risk Rezko might flee, rather than face trial on federal fraud charges.
After appearing to pray with eyes closed throughout her husband's unsuccessful appeal for release on bond, Tony Rezko's wife, Rita, left the courthouse without a word.
Defense lawyer Joe Duffy repeated for cameras some of the same arguments that failed to persuade St. Eve, including that the FBI was long aware of $3.5 million Rezko received from an Iraqi-born billionaire, but failed to report to the court.
"The government sat on this for 10 months. There was no attempt to conceal this transaction," said Duffy, a former assistant U.S. attorney and former IRS agent. "Thirty days before the trial in a very complex case, they have now taken the defendant away from his lawyers. We won't be able to prepare for this case."
With Rezko's trial scheduled to begin in a few weeks, his case is now national news. After Hillary Clinton last week blasted Barack Obama in a debate for having done legal work for Rezko and having accepted contributions in previous political campaigns, an undated photo surfaced showing Rezko with Clinton and her husband.
Shortly before the ruling rejecting Rezko's release on bond, one of the biggest beneficiaries of his campaign contributions, Gov. Rod Blagojevich, criticized the way reporters are covering the story.
"Now, look at that reporter over there. If they want their newspaper to get a little thicker, to have more people read it, they ought to write about stuff people actually care about, and that actually matters to them, not all this baloney that they think sells newspapers, but at the end of the day just turns things off," Blagojevich said.
The governor said all he knows about the case against Rezko is what he's read in newspapers.
Rezko faces trial on charges that he conspired with others to defraud the state fund that pays pensions to public school teachers. Rezko was a visitor to the governor's home, and helped place people in key jobs, and on key boards and commissions.
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