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By: Ian Essling
George Ryan, former Illinois governor and Secretary of State, was convicted on April 17 of all 18 charges leveled against him; the most serious of these being a racketeering charge that could land him in jail for 20 years on its own, with the 72 year old Ryan facing a possible grand total of 95 years in prison for all charges.
He may also receive up to $4.5 million in fines.
Ryan's co-defendant, lobbyist Larry Warner, was also convicted of 12 charges.
Ryan is perhaps best known for the infamous "License for Bribes" scandal, a long-running ordeal that involved the illegal selling of government licenses and contracts by state employees to unqualified drivers.
The scheme was revealed when a Federal investigation into the deaths of six children in a Wisconsin crash showed that the truck driver who caused the crash had obtained his license illegally while Ryan was the Secretary of State.
A total of 76 officials, truck drivers and lobbyists have now been charged and convicted in the investigation, with Ryan and Warner being the latest.
Ryan served as governor of Illinois from 1999 to 2003, when political pressure from mounting corruption charges led to him declining to run for another term.
Neither Ryan nor Warner took the stand during the trial, citing that nothing they did was illegal. The trial was often hampered by jury problems, including two jurors being dismissed after they lied on their questionnaires, and another juror who says she was intimidated and coerced into reaching the verdict.
Defense lawyers made every effort to stop the trial and declare a mistrial due to the jury issues. Sentencing will take place in August, and Ryan has announced he will appeal the verdict.
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