Mar 4, 2008 6:59 pm US/Central
Jury Selection Resumes In Rezko Trial
Appointment Of Blagojevich Campaign Donor As Elevator Safety Chairman Expected To Come Up In Testimony
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Jury selection resumedTuesday in the criminal trial of political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, an event that is packing a political punch.
The court is looking for a total of 18 men and women, 12 jurors and six alternates, to decide the guilt or innocence of Rezko, a master political fundraiser and accused shakedown artist. The process of finding those jurors can be fascinating.
CBS 2's Mike Parker reports on the process as it unfolded Tuesday.
Judge Amy St. Eve questioned dozens of potential jurors looking for those who will be fair and impartial. She sat on the bench, tossing questions at the jury box just a few feet away.
One woman, juror 116, told the judge she has "relatives in law enforcement and might have a bias in favor of law enforcement agents if they testify."
Question from St. Eve: "Can you evaluate law enforcement testimony the same as anybody else?"
The woman said, "yes."
The next candidate said her son is a Will County detective but assured the judge that she could be fair and impartial.
So did an attorney who was once a Cook County prosecutor and who later said he lobbied politicians for Peoples Gas in Springfield.
Strangely, two juror candidates questioned Tuesday both said they worked repairing potholes, one of them for the City of Chicago, the other for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
Said the judge to the state worker, "you must be the busiest person," and got a big laugh when she asked, "can we give you a list?"
It now appears the selection process will come to an end Wednesday with attorneys making their final challenges to a pool of 44 potential jury members.
Opening statements by the prosecution and defense will take place on Thursday.
Rezko is charged with multiple corruption charges, including money laundering, attempted extortion, fraud and aiding bribery. He is accused of buying influence with campaign money and using clout to shake down businesses.
He was once a close adviser to Gov. Rod Blagojevich and raised thousands of dollars for his campaign, as well as Barack Obama's campaign for U.S. Senate.
Obama sent the Rezko contributions to charity, and said none of it funded his presidential campaign. Blagojevich has not been accused of any wrongdoing, although he is named in the indictment and other documents against Rezko as "Public Official A," who allegedly benefited from corrupt schemes involving state jobs and pension fund investments.
Blagojevich has declined to discuss the issues and has denied that he is "Public Official A."
The feds will try to prove that Rezko was at the top of a pay-to-play scenario, conducting illegal shakedowns and kickback schemes, in part to benefit the governor's campaign fund, in return for state jobs and other favors.
CBS 2 Legal Analyst Irv Miller said, "Primarily, it's about going against the governor, but don't forget Tony Rezko's accused of doing a lot of bad things; taking thousands and thousands of dollars out of what should be taxpayer money that went to his pockets, went to his buddies' pockets, and went into the political contribution funds of various political candidates. So, leaving Gov. Blagojevich aside, I think it's fair to go against Tony Rezko."
Among the issues expected to come up at trial is Blagojevich's 2003 appointment of a campaign donor to a state safety board.
Frank Christensen was appointed chairman of the Elevator Safety Review Board around the same time his elevator installers made a $10,000 campaign contribution.
Christensen got the job even though he was not eligible for it. The position is intended for someone who serves a city of less than 50,000 people. Christensen lives in Tinley Park, which has a population of 58,000.
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve says she hopes to have the full jury, with 12 jurors and four alternates, in place by the end of the day Tuesday. She questioned 43 potential jurors Monday, and more will be questioned Tuesday.
If the jury is impaneled by later Tuesday, opening statements in the Rezko trial could begin Wednesday, and this political blockbuster of a trial would be underway in earnest.
CBS 2's Mike Parker, Kristyn Hartman and Political Editor Mike Flannery contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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