The Chicago Sun-Times reports:
In a major victory for federal prosecutors, a longtime friend and ex-chief of staff to Rod Blagojevich said today he was an eyewitness to a litany of corruption under the former governor in a deal that pledges his cooperation in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Lon Monk, 51, of Decatur, said in his plea agreement that during the ex-governor’s first term in office, there was an ongoing agreement among Blagojevich’s closest advisers involving making tens of thousands of dollars off of state business. The money would be split four ways, according to the plea. The alleged recipients: Blagojevich, the now-deceased Christopher Kelly, convicted businessman Tony Rezko and Monk.
Government in Illinois , really is a racketeering enterprise. Here's Monk's
agreement (PDF) with the U.S. Attorney's office. Here's the
AP take on the story:
According to the indictment, from spring 2004 until 2006, "Rezko provided to Monk a number of cash gifts to pay for various items such as a car and home improvements, totaling approximately $70,000 to $90,000."
No word yet from Barack Obama on this one.
