Stage set for William Cellini trial

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

William Cellini amassed a fortune by keeping himself close to the state’s political stage while taking care to stand behind the curtain.

His influence with Illinois governors began with Richard Ogilvie and stretched to convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

For decades, it paid off handsomely.

From landing Illinois’ first casino boat license, to road construction, to a failed hotel venture, to real estate, Cellini, long a Republican political fund-raiser, cut deal after deal tied to state business.

The master of rent seeking.