Jan 22, 2007 1:19 pm US/Central
Daley's Former Patronage Chief Granted Appeal Bond
Two Other Defendants In Hiring Fraud Trial Also To Remain Free Pending Appeal
by Mike Robinson, AP Legal Affairs Writer
(AP)
A federal judge on Monday allowed Mayor Richard M. Daley's former patronage chief to delay the start of his sentence and remain free on bond pending the appeal of his hiring fraud conviction.
Robert Sorich, 43, once a key figure in Daley's political hierarchy, had been scheduled to start his 46-month federal prison term on Monday.
A federal appeals court on Friday allowed two other former officials who were convicted along with Sorich to remain free pending their appeal.
And U.S. District Judge David H. Coar, who presided at the trial, signed an order Monday allowing Sorich to remain free as well.
It was the second time recently that the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed defendants convicted of political corruption in Illinois to remain free on bond pending appeal. Former Gov. George H. Ryan, convicted of racketeering and fraud, was the first.
So-called appeal bonds are very unusual. Most defendants sentenced to prison for federal crimes must start serving their time within weeks.
Sorich was convicted of engineering a scheme in which interview scores were faked and documents were destroyed to make it appear that the rules barring political affiliation as a factor in hiring were being followed.
Witnesses testified that Sorich actually made certain that Daley campaign workers got city jobs, leaving other applicants with no chance. Daley has been accused of no wrongdoing.
Coar issued only a brief, three-paragraph order that did not address any of the issues that are expected to be raised by Sorich in the appeal.
Coar said that if the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejects Sorich's effort to have his conviction overturned he will be required to report to prison within 72 hours to start serving his sentence.
(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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