Politics

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Convicted fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko cannot count on U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to help him get out of prison.

Rezko, a prominent fundraiser for Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich among others, was found guilty Wednesday of fraud and money laundering after a high-profile federal trial provided an unusually detailed glimpse of Illinois pay-to-play politics.

Obama's staff said Thursday that if the senator is elected president, he will not pardon the man who once raised money for him.

Rezko has known Obama since he entered politics and was involved in a 2005 real estate deal with the Democratic presidential candidate, although testimony barely touched on their relationship. Most of the focus was on shakedowns prosecutors said Rezko arranged when he was a top adviser to Blagojevich.

Obama first began to distance himself from Rezko earlier this year, after the corruption charges were filed.

"My relationship is he was somebody who I knew and had been a supporter for many years, he was somebody who had supported a wide range of candidates all throughout Illinois," the Democratic presidential candidate said in an interview with CBS' "Early Show" in January. "Nobody had an inkling that he was involved in any problems. When those problems were discovered, we returned money from him that had been contributed."

Obama released a statement Wedensday night stating that he was "saddened," adding in part that "this isn't the Tony Rezko I knew, but now he has been convicted by a jury ... that once again shines a spotlight on the need for reform." 

Although Obama's campaign has pledged he will not pardon Rezko if elected president, as CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports, there could be another way for Rezko to gain his freedom.

He was one of the governor's biggest fundraisers, but now Rezko is sitting in the slammer potentially facing years behind bars.

CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said, "Rezko right now is in the Metropolitan Correctional Center and that's a terrible place to be. He doesn't like being there and the government knows he doesn't like being there."

So the question is, will Rezko try and shorten his time behind bars by saying all he knows about the Governor's role in pay-to-play politics in Illinois? Miller said yes.

"When he starts to think about his freedom, at some early point or at some distant point, he's going to want to talk with the federal government," Miller said.

And Cyndi Canary, Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform said he believes it's Blagojevich who is the ultimate target for the feds.

"In many ways the backdrop of the whole case was Governor Blagojevich, who was mentioned repeatedly throughout the trial."

One name not mentioned in the trial, but in the rumor mill, is Patti Blajojevich, the governor's wife.

"There have been rumors to the effect that the first lady may be a target. I have no knowledge of that," Canary said.

Chris Kelly, an un-indicted co-conspirator in the Rezko case and a former Blagojevich campaign chairman, is also in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors. Experts say it all adds up to a loss of political capital for the governor.

"It's no secret that the legislature and the governor have not worked well together and I'm afraid with this verdict we have a governor who is simply toxic," Canary said.

Blagojevich has already spent nearly $1 million from his campaign on legal fees. On Thursday, the leader of the state's Republican Party called for the return of more than a million more dollars.

Illinois GOP Chair Andy McKenna said, "The Illinois Republican Party is calling for Governor Blajojevich to return the $1.4 million he received with the help of Tony Rezko."

CBS 2 has learned that, so far, the feds are not offering any deal to Rezko in exchange for his cooperation against Blagojevich, who has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

Blagojevich has repeatedly denied taking part in any of the shadowy political dealings that were described from the witness stand. On Wednesday, he read a prepared statement to reporters in which he called Rezko "a friend" who "was a supporter."

"On a personal level I am deeply sad for what's happened to Tony," Blagojevich said. "The jury's decision is yet another reminder that ours is a system of government that is ruled by laws and not by men. I respect the decision of the jury."

Rezko was essentially on trial for pay-to-play deals involving the exchange of money for state contracts and positions under Blagojevich – or "Public Official A" as Blagojevich was referred to in court.

The jury threw out all of the counts where "Official A" was specifically mentioned by name, but CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said the 18 guilty verdicts send a serious message.

Rezko, 52, showed no emotion as the jury delivered a mixed verdict Wednesday that found him guilty of scheming with the government's star witness to get kickbacks out of money management firms wanting state business, but acquitted him of charges that included attempted extortion.

Neither Blagojevich nor Obama has been accused of wrongdoing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

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