Antoin Tony Rezko

Antoin "Tony" Rezko was a real estate developer and broker. On June 4, 2008 Rezko was found guilty on 16 of 24 counts of corruption. Rezko was convicted of wire and mail fraud, money laundering, and bribery. He was acquitted on eight charges including attempted extortion.

On December 16, 2008, a federal judge indefinitely postponed Rezko's January 6, 2009 sentencing, leading to speculation that he may be cooperating with the emerging case against governor Rod Blagojevich.SunTimes: Judge delays Rezko sentencing (December 16, 2008)

Rezko was arrested on January 28, 2008 and charged with 24 counts of fraud. His trial began on March 6, 2008.

The charges came from a three-year FBI investigation claiming Rezko demanded money from companies who sought to do business in Illinois. He was accused of scheming with Governor Rod Blagojevich to get a $1.5 million kickback. Blagojevich was arrested on December 9, 2008 along with his chief of staff John Harris on corruption charges.Christian Science Monitor: Feds arrest Illinois governor for corruption (December 9, 2008)

Rezko was also accused of laundering money in an associates restaurant business.

The media has been particularly interested in Rezko because of reports indicating that had given money to President Barack Obama, however, the criminal charges were unrelated to Rezko's connection with any politician.

Rezko and Obama were longtime friends and Rezko was a financial supporter of Obama. He made donations to Obama's campaign which were later donated to charity.

Rezko's political ties also comprise of a $3.6 million fundraiser held for George W. Bush in 2003.

According attorney Joseph Duffy, Rezko plans to appeal the verdict although he wishes to begin serving his sentence immediately.