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 The enigmatic William Cellini, 76, will step
into the limelight Monday when his corruption trial starts. He's
accused of trying to shake down the Oscar-winning producer of
"Million Dollar Baby" for a campaign contribution to Rod
Blagojevich, and his trial is the last in a series stemming from a
decade-long investigation of the former Democratic governor.
Blagojevich was convicted at retrial earlier
this year of trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old
Senate seat. Two trials revealed the ex-governor as charismatic and
full of braggadocio but lacking discipline. He seemed to bumble his
way through his job and now, at 54, is broke and about to be
sentenced to prison.
Cellini is in many ways the opposite. State
contacts helped the Springfield Republican earn tens of millions
from real estate, casino and even asphalt businesses, and he's held
on to much of his wealth. The son of a policeman, he has a
reputation as savvy and meticulous and a man not to be crossed.
"He was so well-connected, if he was upset with
you, there was a perception he could make a few calls -- and you may
not get that state job or state contract you wanted," said David
Morrison, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political
Reform.
The trial will offer another peek at the
underbelly of Illinois' scandal-plagued politics. To lay the
groundwork for their claim that Cellini conspired to shake down
movie producer Thomas Rosenberg, prosecutors plan to show he forged
ties with top-tier politicians as far back as the 1960s. Their
success, however, could depend on whether jurors believe a single
witness tainted by his own association with Blagojevich.
The defense objected in pretrial hearings that
prosecutors were trying to cast Cellini's knack for befriending the
powerful in a sinister light.
"Those things are not illegal. But the
government wants to offer those things to muddy and dirty up Cellini,"
said defense attorney Dan Webb, a former U.S. attorney who also
defended Blagojevich's predecessor, Republican Gov. George Ryan, who
is serving a 6 1/2-year term on multiple corruption counts at an
Indiana prison.
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While Blagojevich was charged with multiple crimes, Cellini is
accused of a primary one: that he and three others tried to squeeze
Rosenberg for a $1.5 million donation in 2004. Cellini has pleaded
not guilty to extortion conspiracy, attempted extortion,
solicitation of a bribe and conspiracy to commit fraud and is free
on $1 million bond. If convicted on all counts, he could spend more
than 50 years in prison.
Prosecutors claim Cellini and his cohorts,
including Blagojevich insiders Tony Rezko and Chris Kelly, planned
to threaten Rosenberg's investment company with the loss of $220
million in state pension money from the $30 billion Illinois
Teachers' Retirement System they controlled unless he made the
donation.
[Associated
Press]
Copyright 2011 The Associated
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