Ald. Richard Mell sought kickback from state pension board business, witness tells Rezko jury

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Not long after his son-in-law Rod Blagojevich became governor, Ald. Richard Mell (33rd) sought to squeeze a sizable kickback out of an insider deal at a state pension fund, according to testimony Monday in federal court.

The allegation, which surfaced at the ongoing fraud trial of former Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko, adds another strange layer to the Mell-Blagojevich relationship that has devolved to downright dysfunctional in recent years.

Mell nurtured Blagojevich's political career. But the alderman allegedly was put out that he was having trouble cashing in on that once Blagojevich took office in 2003, said Sheldon Pekin, who told jurors he was part of a deal that would have split a finder's fee for state pension business with Mell even though the alderman would have done nothing to earn it.

Pekin said he learned of Mell's frustration from a corrupt pension board member, Stuart Levine, who has admitted his role in trying to rig pension deals in exchange for kickbacks and pleaded guilty to corruption charges.