Apr 17, 2008 6:51 pm US/Central
Prosecution Witness Tells Of Rezko's Secrecy
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Jurors at the federal corruption trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko heard testimony Thursday about the secretive ways the political fundraiser conducted business.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports although Thursday's chief witness admitted on the stand that he was briefly treated by a doctor for memory loss, he said he has no trouble remembering his dealings with Rezko.
Rezko, an accused shakedown artist, allegedly schemed to profit from Gov. Rod Blagojevich's ill-fated 2003 idea to sell or lease the Thompson Center to private investors.
Prosecution witness Charles Hannon told the jury that Rezko offered Hannon and his wife, podiatrist Fortunee Massuda, a shady $750,000 "finder's fee" from the investors.
Hannon suggested Rezko planned the deal because he owed the couple millions of dollars and was having trouble paying the money back.
Hannon and Massuda operate a chain of clinics called the Foot and Ankle Clinics of America.
The witness also testified that Rezko was obsessed with doing things in secret.
According to Hannon, Rezko would never discuss business on the phone, that Rezko told him he conducted regular "sweeps" of his office to make sure his phones were not tapped.
Hannon said Rezko also believed that cell phones could transmit conversations even when they were turned off. Before conversations in his office, he removed the battery from his cell phone.
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