Federal prosecutors declared Friday that fundraiser Tony Rezko should receive between 11 and 15 years in prison, rejecting Rezko's plea that he be allowed to go free after spending years awaiting sentencing.
Prosecutors insist the fraud, bribery and money laundering crimes for which Rezko had been convicted, were just "the tip of the iceberg of Rezko's efforts to defraud the state of Illinois."
"In fact, Rezko plotted with the most powerful people in Illinois state government," prosecutors wrote. "Namely Rod Blagojevich, Chris Kelly, and Lon Monk, to use their tremendous power over the state of Illinois to line their pockets with a variety of schemes that Rezko devised and implemented."
Rezko was formerly a fund raiser for convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and years ago had connections to President Barack Obama.
Rezko's lawyers insisted he was prepared to testify for the government as a cooperating witness, but prosecutors said he never would have been believed, noting his "pervasive and sustained lies."
Prosecutors insist the fraud, bribery and money laundering crimes for which Rezko had been convicted, were just "the tip of the iceberg of Rezko's efforts to defraud the state of Illinois."
"In fact, Rezko plotted with the most powerful people in Illinois state government," prosecutors wrote. "Namely Rod Blagojevich, Chris Kelly, and Lon Monk, to use their tremendous power over the state of Illinois to line their pockets with a variety of schemes that Rezko devised and implemented."
Rezko was formerly a fund raiser for convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and years ago had connections to President Barack Obama.
Rezko's lawyers insisted he was prepared to testify for the government as a cooperating witness, but prosecutors said he never would have been believed, noting his "pervasive and sustained lies."