POSTED: 6:25 a.m. CST December 17, 2003
UPDATED: 8:25 a.m. CST December 18, 2003
CHICAGO -- Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan was charged in a
federal racketeering indictment Wednesday with taking payoffs,
gifts and vacations in return for government contracts and leases
while he was secretary of state.
Ryan Charge Not Final Chapter
Click here for full text of indictment.
Ryan, 69, a Republican known worldwide as a leading critic of
the death penalty, gradually became the focus of a corruption
investigation that began even before his 1998 election as governor.
The growing scandal was a factor in Ryan's 2001 decision not to
seek a second term.
The indictment alleges Ryan received illegal cash payments and
gifts, vacations and personal services. It says members of his
family got cash loans and gifts totaling $167,000.
The 22-count indictment charges that Ryan himself directed
payments totaling more than $300,000 to prominent lobbyist Donald
Udstuen, who earlier pleaded guilty to corruption charges.
The indictment alleges Ryan and his associates engaged in a
pattern of corruption that included performing official acts,
awarding lucrative government contracts and leases, and using state
resources to benefit himself, members of his family and his
political organization.
"The charged conduct by former Gov. Ryan reflects a disturbing
violation of trust," U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald said in a
statement. "Ryan is charged with betraying the citizens of
Illinois for over a decade on state business, both large and
small."
Fitzgerald scheduled a 2:30 p.m. CST news conference to discuss
the charges.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Safe Road, initially focused
on bribes exchanged for licenses for unqualified truck drivers when
Ryan was secretary of state. It expanded into a broader
investigation of political corruption that snared several of his
top aides and associates.
Ryan became the 66th person charged in the investigation; 59
people and his campaign committee have been convicted so far.
For his part, Ryan has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing, claiming he had no knowledge of the license-for-bribes scandal that occurred while he was Illinois secretary of state.
"Was I involved in selling driver's licenses to people illegally? Hell, no, I wasn't," Ryan said previously, when asked about the scandal. "I didn't have anything to do with it. Would I tolerate it? Hell, no."
The scandal dates back to 1998, according to NBC5's
Dick Kay, when dozens of midlevel state employees were accused of selling licenses for bribes.
"The money raised allegedly went toward Ryan's successful campaign for governor," Kay said.
Last summer, former Ryan aide Scott Fawell was the highest ranking official to be convicted as a result of the investigation. He's now serving 6 ½ years in prison and faces a second indictment.
"Federal investigators have linked a politician known as 'Official A' to the case," Kay said. "NBC5 has identified that unnamed official as George Ryan."
Michael Sneed reported in her column Wednesday that Ryan's attorney, Dan Webb, plans to mount an aggressive defense, Kay said -- with no discussion about a plea bargain.
Webb is the former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.
Ryan declined to seek a second term as polls showed his standing with voters plunging as prosecutors won convictions against two of
his top aides. His unpopularity was considered a major reason Republican candidates were routed statewide in the 2002 election.
While his popularity plummeted in his home state, Ryan was winning widespread praise nationally and internationally as a
leading critic of capital punishment.
Ryan declared a moratorium on capital punishment in Illinois after it was discovered that 13 wrongfully convicted men had been
sent to death row.
"I finally decided that if I was out of office for six months or a year and learned that an innocent man was executed and I
didn't do anything about it, that would have been something that would have haunted me for the rest of my life," he said in an
Associated Press interview.
In January 2003, just before leaving office, he pardoned four condemned prisoners and commuted the death sentences of 167 others
to life in prison.
Critics accused Ryan of using the death penalty issue to deflect the scandal arising from the disclosures of corruption. Supporters
nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Ryan also traveled to South Africa and to Cuba, and was the dinner guest of Fidel Castro.
Return to NBC5.com's Politics page.
SIGN UP FOR
BREAKING NEWS ALERTS: |
|
|
Copyright 2003 by NBC5.com The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
