Did Rezko go straight to jail because he doesn't feel safe on the outside?
June 5, 2008
BY MARK BROWN Sun-Times Columnist
Everything about the jury verdict in the Tony Rezko trial went pretty much as one might have predicted Wednesday, except for what happened right afterward.
Rezko voluntarily surrendered to federal authorities.
Rather than ask U.S. District Court Judge Amy St. Eve to remain free on bond while he awaits sentencing, as is customary in federal court here, Rezko opted to go directly to jail.
He did not pass go. He did not collect 200 excuses as to why he shouldn't have to start serving his sentence.
Heck, he didn't even wait for his sentence.
Even St. Eve seemed to raise her eyebrows just a twitch as Rezko's lawyer, Joseph Duffy, announced to the court, "It's Mr. Rezko's intention to start serving his sentence immediately," in the process saving her from having to make the decision.
That is a very unusual development.
So what are we to make of it?
That's the question a lot of people in Rezko's possible line of fire -- from Rod Blagojevich to Bill Cellini to persons unknown in the Bush White House and to, yes, maybe even Barack Obama -- must be asking themselves today. Those are among the people with potentially the most to lose if Rezko should decide he wants to lighten his load by telling tales to federal authorities.
I take this as a sign, however, that he's not to that point just yet.
Duffy didn't offer any explanation, except to say Rezko decided it "on his own."
That leaves us to speculate.
The simplest answer is that Rezko may have felt St. Eve was going to revoke his bond anyway and order that he be detained. Federal prosecutors were asking her to do so when Duffy announced his intentions.
Could he be in danger outside?
This way Rezko can maintain some semblance that he is accepting responsibility for his crimes, even as he continues to maintain his innocence through Duffy. That can help during sentencing.
It also just may be that Rezko is tired of fighting. He has spent a lot of money -- and emotional energy -- to go to trial, and in the end, it didn't get him very far.
The tactic of attacking star government witness Stuart Levine only worked to a point. As jurors made clear, they found enough corroboration from secret government wiretaps and other evidence to make Levine's sometimes doubtful testimony hold up -- at least well enough to get convictions on 16 of 24 counts.
That still leaves Rezko looking at a minimum 10 years in prison before he even goes to trial on a second indictment he is facing.
There's a more interesting way to look at this, which paints a scenario you'd more likely see in a trial where there is some sort of mob connection.
Tony Rezko is a guy who knows a lot about a lot of people. Those people have a very serious stake in him keeping his mouth shut. Rezko is also known to be a very security-conscious guy.
I know this is going to sound overly dramatic, but it's not really that far-fetched to think Rezko may well believe he's in danger if he goes free and that by reporting to jail it's proof that he's not cooperating.
It's one way of saying, "You don't have to worry about me."
Serving time at the Metropolitan Correctional Center is not light duty, as Rezko already knows.
Poignant goodbye
I don't see this as a sign that Rezko has already thrown in the towel and decided to cooperate, not to say that he won't in the future as the prospect of the second trial looms even larger.
Among the people who weren't surprised by Rezko's decision to surrender were members of his family. They didn't make a peep when Duffy said the family patriarch wouldn't be going home with them. Clearly, he had shared his plans before coming to court Wednesday.
Just the same, there was a poignant scene after the jury returned its guilty verdicts. There was a pause in the proceedings as St. Eve went to thank the jurors outside the courtroom. During that time, Rezko was allowed to huddle with his two sons on the front bench in the courtroom.
Rezko's boys are high school to college age. They sat on either side of him and leaned in close to talk. He leaned over to speak directly into their ears, a scene not unlike the one you can see on YouTube of the soft-spoken Rezko imparting some comment to Blagojevich.
When court was adjourned, and it was time for Rezko to be led away, he turned to his family and gave a small wave. They gave a big wave back to him. As he reached the door to leave the courtroom, he hesitated and looked back at them once more.
It may sound cruel, but at some point, Rezko is going to have to decide if he wants to see them again outside a courtroom or a prison visitors' room, and when that day comes, he still has some cards to play.
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