Posted on 06/16/2010 5:10:01 PM PDT by STARWISE
The name of President Obama came into play this afternoon at the political corruption trial of former governor Rod Blagojevich as an associate of political fund-raiser Tony Rezko testified that Rezko asked him to write a $10,000 check to Friends of Obama.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported in January 2008 that Glenview businessman Joseph Aramanda, who is testifying today, made the donation as part of a scheme orchestrated by Rezko.
Aramanda gave $10,000 in campaign cash to Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign on March 5, 2004, according to records. The money came from part of a finder’s fee Aramanda received, but did no work for, thanks to Rezko.
The allegation is the first time Obama has been linked to Rezko through first-hand sworn testimony at the corruption trial.
The president is accused of no wrongdoing, and his campaign long ago returned contributions linked to the now convicted Rezko.
Aramanda testified this morning that he was offered to take part in a business where part of the proceeds would be diverted to the former governor, among others.
Aramanda, who is testifying under a grant of immunity, said in 2004 Rezko offered him a position in a finder’s fee business connected to the state’s teacher pension board.
Rezko asked Aramanda to head the business, offering him a salary of $250,000 a year. Aramanda said he thought that was shockingly low, given that the transactions could rake in $1 million or more per deal and there would likely be multiple deals each year.
Rezko explained to Aramanda that the remaining money would be divvied up among Rezko, Blagojevich, then-fund-raiser Christopher Kelly and Lon Monk, the gubernatorial chief of staff at the time.
“I was uncomfortable with the situation,” Aramanda said of the proposed venture. “I thought it was wrong.”
Aramanda said he refused to take part in it.
His testimony supports that of Monk, who the defense repeatedly attempted to cast as a liar. Monk, who concluded his testimony Tuesday, testified that Blagojevich, himself, Rezko and Kelly met secretly to map out how they would make money off state deals with the then-governor taking action to benefit his friends.
Rezko proposed that Aramanda would act as an intermediary with the Teachers Retirement Systems and receive fees from different firms for TRS investments.
Aramanda is a friend and former business associate of Rezko, the convicted fund-raiser. Aramanda’s testimony concerned a 2004 deal to accept a finder's fee from Glencoe Capital, which won a $50 million investment from the state’s Teachers’ Retirement System.
Aramanda hadn’t done any work for his fees, he testified.
So when he asked Glencoe Capital’s Sheldon Pekin to make the second payment in April 2004, Pekin shot back with, “What do you think, Christmas comes early?” according to Aramanda.
Aramanda said Rezko hooked him up to do work for Pekin. Of Aramanda's first $150,000 payment from Pekin, $50,000 went to Rezko, Aramanda testified.
Through Aramanda, the defense is trying to show that Rezko duped Blagojevich just like he duped everyone else — including Aramanda, a Harvard Business School alum.
Attorney Michael Gillespie even brought Barack Obama into the mix, getting Aramanda to note that when he met Blagojevich at Rezko’s mansion, Obama was also there.
Aramanda said the event was a fund-raiser for both Obama and Blagojevich. Obama and Rezko were friends when Obama was an aspiring U.S. Senator. Rezko did some fund-raising for Obama and bought property next door to the Obama's Hyde Park home.
Gillespie said Rezko used Aramanda to funnel kickbacks.
“He made no mention he was using you as a front man to get his money?” Gillespie asked.
Aramanda had testified that Rezko arranged for Aramanda to get "business loans" through Rezko's friends. Rezko then tapped Aramanda to use portions of that money to repay Rezko's debt.
Rezko also directed Aramanda to make payments on his behalf, he testified. Aramanda said Rezko gave him a list of names and told him the amounts he was to wire to various Rezko associates.
Not included in that list: Rod Blagojevich.
“He never gave you a wire transfer for an account in Aruba and said: ‘this is the governor’s, send it to him?’” Gillespie asked.
“No,” Aramanda responded. Report item as: (required) X Comment: (optional)
“The president is accused of no wrongdoing, and his campaign long ago returned contributions linked to the now convicted Rezko.”
Tony Rezko, a slumlord who was recently convicted of 16 federal crimes in connection with extorting bribes from people seeking Illinois government business, and is awaiting sentencing
“Rezko did some fund-raising for Obama and bought property next door to the Obama’s Hyde Park home.”
Actually, Rezko, acting through his wife Rita, bought the mansion’s side yard (it has no back yard) for $625,000 with the intention of quietly allowing the Obama family to use it. Until Chicago newspapers reported Rezko’s involvement, Senator Obama paid his gardening service to cut the grass in the 7,500-square-foot yard.
At the time Rezko bought the yard, he has claimed in court papers that he had “no income, negative cash flow, no liquid assets, no unencumbered assets [and] is significantly in arrears on many of his obligations.” How, then, did Rezko come up with the $125,000 downpayment to buy the side yard that the Obamas were going to use?’
Rezko’s wife closed on the the side yard on June 15, 2005–the same day Obama closed on the house. A few weeks earlier, Illinois state records show that $3.5 million was loaned to Rezko by a Panamanian company owned by a Iraqi-British businessman, Nadhmi Auchi.
I’m just sayin’
Nadhmi Auchi:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2003/nov/15/uk.economy
Another convicted felon in the mix.
Obama Rezko property appraiser:
“The real estate specialist, Kenneth J. Conner, said bank officials replaced an appraisal review he prepared on the property and FBI agents were investigating in late 2007 whether the Rezko-Obama deal was proper.
“Agents and I talked about payoff, bribe, kickback for a long time, though it took them only a short number of minutes of talking with me while looking at the appraisal to acknowledge what they already seemed to know: The Rezko lot was grossly overvalued,” Mr. Conner told The Washington Times Monday.
“Rezko paid the asking price on the same day Obama paid $300,000 less than the asking price to the same seller for his adjacent mansion,” he said. “This begs the question of payoff, bribe, kickback.”
In a wrongful-termination complaint filed last month in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Mr. Conner said his appraisal of the Rezko property, held in Rita Malki Rezko’s name, was replaced with a higher one and he was fired when he questioned the document.”
Excerpt: http://yidwithlid.blogspot.com/2008/11/fbi-questioning-obamarezko-deal.html
I’m just sayin”
Yeah ...
Obastard and everyone around his is rotten to the core.
The property was a full lot. So Rezko bribed Urkle with twice the land he would have gotten with his house.
Why does returning it when it became politically expedient matter? The fact that he received it in the first place is what should be legally important.
Compare it to the shoplifter in a store. They get caught at the door with stolen merchandise. Are they allowed to just give back the item and walk away with no prosecution?
Blogs is a wonderful gift to the disclosure of the Corruption of the Entire United States Government by the
DEMORATS!
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