Mar 16, 2007 12:54 pm US/Central
Ryan Aide Scott Fawell Gets Prison Sentence Cut
But He Doesn't Get Reduction Of As Much As He Wants
CHICAGO (AP) ―
Related Stories
-
Fawell Fiancee Sentenced In Bid Rigging Case (Oct. 12, 2006)
(10/12/2006)
-
Ryan Aide Spared Prison, Gets 4 Years' Probation (Oct. 10, 2006)
(10/11/2006)
-
Fawell To Be Sentenced By Remote Control (Oct. 5, 2006)
(10/5/2006)
-
Former Gov. Thompson Speaks Out In Support Of Ryan (Sept. 8, 2006)
(9/9/2006)
-
Family Who Lost Kids Says They Can't Forgive Ryan (Sept. 8, 2006)
(9/8/2006)
-
Former Gov. George Ryan Sentenced To 6 1/2 Years (Sept. 7, 2006)
(9/7/2006)
-
Ryan Expected To Serve Sentence At Wis. Prison(Sept. 6, 2006)
(9/6/2006)
-
Hometown Residents Sympathetic To Former Governor (Sept. 6, 2006)
(9/7/2006)
-
Ryan Juror Says Sentencing Fair (Sept. 6, 2006)
(9/6/2006)
-
Former Gov. Ryan To Be Sentenced (Sept. 6, 2006)
(9/6/2006)
-
Ryan May Speak At Sentencing Wednesday (Sept. 5, 2006)
(9/6/2006)
-
Former Gov. Ryan To Be Sentenced Wednesday (Sept. 5, 2006)
(9/5/2006)
-
Judge: Willis Cannot Speak In Ryan Sentencing (Sept. 1, 2006)
(9/2/2006)
-
Willis Father May Speak At Ryan Sentencing (Aug. 31, 2006)
(6/16/2006)
-
Willis Family Publishes Book On Forgiveness (June 15, 2006)
(4/19/2006)
-
Former Gov. Edgar Weighs In On Ryan Verdict (April 18, 2006)
(4/18/2006)
-
Questions In Ryan Case Focus On Sentence, Appeals (April 18, 2006)
(4/19/2006)
-
Guilty Verdict Could Cloud Ryan's Legacy (April 18, 2006)
(4/18/2006)
-
Oldest, Youngest Jurors Reflect On Ryan Trial (April 18, 2006)
(4/19/2006)
-
Fallout Hits Governor's Race (April 18, 2006)
(4/18/2006)
-
Legal Experts Judge Pallmeyer's Performance (April 18, 2006)
(4/18/2006)
-
Ryan, Facing Prison, Doesn't Cry Or Whine (April 18, 2006)
(4/18/2006)
-
Corruption Hunt In Full Swing After Ryan Verdict (April 18, 2006)
(4/18/2006)
-
George Ryan Guilty On All Counts (April 17, 2006)
(4/17/2006)
-
Key Moments In The Ryan Trial
(4/18/2006)
-
What's Next For George Ryan? (April 17, 2006)
(4/18/2006)
-
License For Bribes Paved Way For Verdict (April 17, 2006)
(4/17/2006)
-
Jurors: No 'Smoking Gun' (April 17, 2006)
(4/18/2006)
-
Dismissed Juror Could Have Changed Ryan Verdict (Apr 17, 2006)
(4/17/2006)
-
Willis Family Reacts To Guilty Verdict (April 17, 2006)
(4/17/2006)
-
Ryan's Hometown Reacts Quietly To Conviction (April 17, 2006)
(4/17/2006)
-
Blagojevich: Ryan Trial Proves 'No One Above Law' (Apr 17, 2006)
(4/17/2006)
A longtime top aide to George Ryan who switched sides and became the star witness at the former governor's racketeering trial received a four-month sentence reduction Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer stopped short of giving Scott Fawell everything he wanted -- a six-month sentence reduction that prosecutors said they would accept as Fawell's reward.
Pallmeyer said she didn't think Fawell should get the full reduction because he received an undeserved $195,000 job from Ryan. She also noted that Fawell protested against "some of the excesses" of the Ryan era, but only because he feared they would backfire politically.
"His sole concern was politics," Pallmeyer said.
Fawell, who is now serving a 6 1/2-year sentence, was Ryan's chief of staff in the secretary of state's office for eight years and managed his successful 1998 campaign for governor.
He was convicted by a jury in March 2003 of racketeering in the secretary of state's office and pleaded guilty in September 2004 to rigging bids when he was the $195,000-a-year head of the Chicago Pier and Exposition Authority.
In pleading guilty, he also agreed to testify against his old boss, Ryan, in exchange for a package of breaks the government agreed to.
One was a break at sentencing for his fiancee, Andrea Coutretsis, who had pleaded guilty to corruption charges. Another was that his racketeering sentence and bid-rigging sentences would run concurrently.
The third concessions agreed to by prosecutors was that the government would recommend a sentence reduction of up to six months.
Fawell was the key witness at Ryan's trial. The former governor was convicted in April 2006 and sentenced to 6 1/2 years. The case is on appeal.
"Notwithstanding what he thinks of the government and me personally, he has lived up to his end of the bargain," said Patrick Collins, the longtime federal prosecutor who led the investigation for eight years.
Collins called Pallmeyer's decision "fair and appropriate."
While Fawell didn't get the full sentence reduction, he did get the concurrent sentences and the break for Coutretsis -- four months in prison.
Veteran defense attorney Jeffrey B. Steinback who represented Fawell after he decided to plead guilty said he appreciated the sentence cut.
"You ask for six months, you get four and you're four months better off than you were before you started," Steinback said. He said that at worst Fawell should still be out of prison by March 2009 and at best early 2008, depending on how many credits he earns while serving his sentence.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
SLIDESHOW: See The Week's News In Photos
Get breaking news alerts
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
