Closing arguments set for next week
May 5, 2008; 3:55 p.m.
With surprising swiftness, testimony at the corruption trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko concluded Monday. Prosecutors rested their case after more than nine weeks of testimony, and Rezko's lawyers quickly followed suit without calling a single witness.
"We do not believe the government has met [its] burden proving the charges against Mr. Rezko, plain and simple," Rezko's attorney, Joseph Duffy, said in explaining his tactical decision not to mount a defense case.
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve gave jurors the rest of the week off, instructing them to return next Monday morning when closing arguments are scheduled. The jury could begin deliberations as early as May 15, St. Eve suggested.
Before jurors left, St. Eve cautioned them to not read anything into the decision by Rezko's defense team not to put on a case. It is not unusual for criminal defendants to refrain from testifying or for their lawyers to call no witnesses.
St. Eve took under advisement a motion from Rezko's lawyers asking her to dismiss the charges against their client, arguing that the government's case had not met an even minimal burden of proof to find him guilty. Such motions also are routine at this phase of criminal trials and rarely are granted.
The final substantive witness in the trial turned out to be Ali Ata, a holdover from last week, who claims he bought his post atop a state loan agency with bribes to Rezko and campaign contributions to Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
As he was questioned by Duffy Monday, Ata disclosed that he agreed to wear a wire for federal agents to assist in an investigation. But Ata did not say who he was assigned to clandestinely record or whether the recording was ever made. He only began cooperating early last month.
May 5, 2008; 3:55 p.m.
With surprising swiftness, testimony at the corruption trial of Antoin "Tony" Rezko concluded Monday. Prosecutors rested their case after more than nine weeks of testimony, and Rezko's lawyers quickly followed suit without calling a single witness.
"We do not believe the government has met [its] burden proving the charges against Mr. Rezko, plain and simple," Rezko's attorney, Joseph Duffy, said in explaining his tactical decision not to mount a defense case.
U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve gave jurors the rest of the week off, instructing them to return next Monday morning when closing arguments are scheduled. The jury could begin deliberations as early as May 15, St. Eve suggested.
Before jurors left, St. Eve cautioned them to not read anything into the decision by Rezko's defense team not to put on a case. It is not unusual for criminal defendants to refrain from testifying or for their lawyers to call no witnesses.
St. Eve took under advisement a motion from Rezko's lawyers asking her to dismiss the charges against their client, arguing that the government's case had not met an even minimal burden of proof to find him guilty. Such motions also are routine at this phase of criminal trials and rarely are granted.
The final substantive witness in the trial turned out to be Ali Ata, a holdover from last week, who claims he bought his post atop a state loan agency with bribes to Rezko and campaign contributions to Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
As he was questioned by Duffy Monday, Ata disclosed that he agreed to wear a wire for federal agents to assist in an investigation. But Ata did not say who he was assigned to clandestinely record or whether the recording was ever made. He only began cooperating early last month.
3 comments:
Listening to Chicago News Radio, it seems as though calling no witness and the Defense resting was kind of a shock.......now we will wait and see.
Here we have Stuart Levine not remembering events around his Dad's death but vividly remembers many other nit picking details. He claims a drug problem? Well he was the big snitch who also said that he would not let the Governor tell him any details or let him in on any State business, because Stuart Levine does not want to know. This is interesting, because is this telling us that Levine won't have any snitching to do on the Governor?
TGCN here's my thoughts after watching the Corrupt Bush Legal System in action.
By resting the case the truth wont have to come out and as we noticed the factual Prosecutors case. One would think if the case is found no guilty it's as fixed case and it was done to protect the defendant. Now the Defense is living on a prayer.
The jurors might get a little visit from the Feds this week just to make sure Rezko is found not guilty. There seems to a a pattern with the new Justice System. The Judge and Prosecutor work together and taint the jurors just to make sure the case goes in their favor. I never thought I'd see open evidence of Court corruption but then I followed Siegelman and Palfreys cases and it was clear our Legal System is fixed. Now you might ask why Black and others didn't get the fixed cases? My answer is Selective Prosecution. Yes the DOJ/Karl Rove had chosen cases they want others where just regular criminal cases. To tell the difference you have to see the Judge/Prosecutor/lack of evidence/or like this Rezko if he gets off it is truly a fixed case in his favor. If he's found guilty it would bring down your Governor G-Rod real quick.
Wait a minute, who expected Ata to be a witness? Didn't that guy sort of show up at the last minute? Everybody knows Stuart Levine comes across as a weasel and the jury may not like that guy or trust him, but based on what I read about Ata, that guy was clear. Ata's story was yes, the government was for sale and he said he bought his own job.
Did Levine ever get a comb through his hair? Geez, Stewie, the Colombo look went out of style in the 1970s.
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