5050 s. greenwood ave
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Tony Rezko
American businessman, political fundraiser, restaurateur and real estate developer
Antoin Rezko (born 1955) is an American businessman who was convicted of wire fraud.
Rezko was largely a fundraiser for the Illinois Democratic and some Republican politicians. After becoming a major contributor to Rod Blagojevich's successful election for governor, Rezko assisted Blagojevich in setting up the state's first Democratic administration in twenty years and as a result he was able to have business associates appointed onto several state boards. Rezko and several others were indicted on federal charges in October 2006 for using their connections on the state boards to demand kickbacks from businesses that wished to engage in dealings with the state. While the others pleaded guilty, Rezko pleaded not guilty and was tried. He was found guilty of 16 of the 24 charges filed against him and on November 23, 2011, he was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison.[1]
Early life and education
Tony Rezko was born in 1955 in Aleppo, Syria, to a prominent Assyrian Syria
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Antoin Rezko (born 1955) is an American businessman who was convicted of wire fraud.
Rezko was largely a fundraiser for the Illinois Democratic and some Republican politicians. After becoming a major contributor to Rod Blagojevich's successful election for governor, Rezko assisted Blagojevich in setting up the state's first Democratic administration in twenty years and as a result he was able to have business associates appointed onto several state boards. Rezko and several others were indicted on federal charges in October 2006 for using their connections on the state boards to demand kickbacks from businesses that wished to engage in dealings with the state. While the others pleaded guilty, Rezko pleaded not guilty and was tried. He was found guilty of 16 of the 24 charges filed against him and on November 23, 2011, he was sentenced to 10.5 years in prison.[1]
Early life and education
Tony Rezko was born in 1955 in Aleppo, Syria, to a prominent Assyrian Syriac Catholic family.[2] After graduating from college there, Rezko moved to Chicago and earned undergraduate and ma
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Rezko’s bent Horatio Alger story
Though one former colleague recalls that Rezko had little interest in politics when he first made his way in business, that changed in time, and he developed a remarkable knack for spotting political talent early, including a young African American president of the Harvard Law Review. Was Rezko simply interested in advancing smart public servants (and perhaps basking in the excitement of being close to power)? Or did he have a more mercenary motive, as the charges against him suggest?
Now that Tony Rezko is the big local and national news, I highly recommend reading Chicago magazine’s profile of Rezko–I like it because it’s empathetic about Rezko’s history as a person while remaining comprehensive and brutally honest about his history as a fixer.
Also a great piece from that issue: How the CIA Enlisted the Chicago Mob to Put a Hit on Castro
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