Rezko’s Sentencing Is Delayed

Cam Simpson reports on the Blagojevich case. A lot can change in two weeks, especially if you’re trying to cut a deal with federal prosecutors to reduce your prison sentence. On the day before Thanksgiving, convicted Chicago developer Antoin “Tony” Rezko couldn’t wait to be sentenced. One of his lawyers complained to the judge that his client had been held in solitary confinement for nearly six months at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center. The federal holding pen on the southern edge of the city’s Loop is a 27-story triangular block of a building with narrow slits randomly slotted up and down its sides for windows. Given that confinement, Rezko “can no longer agree to delay sentencing,” his lawyer wrote to U.S. District Court Judge Amy St. Eve on Nov. 26. She quickly agreed, setting Rezko’s sentencing hearing for Jan. 6. The speedy sentencing would allow Rezko to hasten his journey to a final federal prison, presumably a minimum- or medium-security penitentiary with more space ... (link)