Ryan might pay the price
"George Ryan pays the price." That was the headline of our editorial in April 2006 when a federal jury announced the guilty verdicts against the former Republican governor and his co-defendant Larry Warner.
Maybe that headline should have read, "George Ryan convicted and he might even pay the price." On Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 7th Circuit Court upheld the convictions and rejected Ryan's request for a new trial. One judge issued a dissent in Ryan's favor.
Not surprisingly, Ryan's attorney, former Republican Gov. Jim Thompson vowed to continue appealing the federal convictions and also hoped to continue to delay the start of Ryan's 6 1/2-year prison sentence. Thompson said his law firm is asking for Ryan's appeal to be considered by the entire U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals - a move seldom granted.
If that tactic does not work, Thompson said the case will be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ryan is lucky to have such powerful defense at his disposal, and he certainly has the right to continue his legal battle. However, it is time for him to begin serving the prison sentence he earned with his many years of public corruption.
His attorneys argue that irregularities within the jury, including the dismissal of two jurors and their replacement by two alternate jurors, mandates a new trial. They are welcome to make that argument to the highest court in the land if necessary.
But during the months and even years such an appeal may take, Ryan should be occupying his prison cell. That is typically what happens once a person is convicted and especially after a person loses his primary appeal.
And, let's not pretend - no matter how good Thompson's Chicago law firm is the defense faces an uphill battle on this one that makes Mount Everest look as flat as central Illinois.
Let's take a look at a portion of the appellate opinion written by Judge Diane Wood:
"In the end, the evidence supporting the jury's verdict was overwhelming. We give only a few examples here from the extensive record that was created. To begin with, the evidence showed that Ryan steered an $850,000 four-year Secretary of State's office lease to Warner for a property that Warner had recently purchased for just $200,000.
Ryan took regular Jamaican vacations paid for by a currency-exchange owner to whom Ryan later steered a $500,000 six-year Secretary of State's office lease. Ryan took a Mexican vacation paid for by an individual to whom Ryan later steered another Secretary of State's office lease and a lobbying contract worth nearly $200,000 for virtually no work. Warner received more than $800,000 for helping a company land a major Secretary of State's office contract without registering as a lobbyist and added another of Ryan's friends into the arrangement at Ryan's request before the contract was awarded. Finally, and remarkably, despite evidence showing that they were enjoying a very nice lifestyle, Ryan's and his wife's total withdrawals from their bank accounts averaged less than $700 per year for ten years."
That's not small time - that's professional-level corruption. And let's not ever forget the six children who burned to death when their van was struck by a piece of metal that fell from a truck - a truck driven by a man who bought his license from Ryan's corrupt Secretary of State's office.
Is it sad that a 73-year-old man who once was the most powerful Republican in this state may spend the rest of his life in prison. Very. In fact it's tragic. But it is also justice.
Corruption certainly has not ended in Illinois since the "licenses for bribes" prosecution concluded. It never will as long as humans live here. But if Ryan never serves his well-deserved prison sentence, future officials tempted by the treasures of public corruption will be emboldened.