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(s)Elections See other (s)Elections Articles Title: Rezko Convicted Of Wire Fraud, Money Laundering/Wall Street Journal Article Wall Street Journal Article Rezko Convicted Of Wire Fraud, Money Laundering By ILAN BRAT and T.W. FARNAM June 5, 2008 A federal jury in Chicago found Antoin Rezko, once a top fund-raiser for Sen. Barack Obama, guilty of wire fraud and money laundering, among other charges. The jury deliberated for parts of nearly two weeks. The conviction Wednesday comes just one day after Sen. Obama claimed the Democratic presidential nomination and served as a reminder the presumptive nominee was a major benefactor of Mr. Rezko's fund-raising efforts when he got his career in politics off the ground. Mr. Rezko's months-long trial garnered national attention as the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Obama's rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, spotlighted the trial to raise questions about Sen. Obama's judgment. Within 20 minutes of the conviction, the Republican Party sent out an email to reporters documenting Sen. Obama's history with Mr. Rezko. "Obama has maintained a friendship with a now convicted felon," the email said. The Republican Party released a statement after the verdict that read, in part, "Today's verdict and Obama's friendship with Rezko raise serious questions about whether he has the judgment to serve as president." Sen. Obama, who has repeatedly said he did no favors for Mr. Rezko, was never a focus of the trial, but it did bring attention to their relationship. The Obama campaign didn't respond to a request for comment. Prosecutors had alleged that Mr. Rezko, a longtime fixture in Illinois politics, used connections with state politicians and appointees to arrange kickback schemes. Mr. Rezko gave tens of thousands of dollars to Sen. Obama's past campaigns, including his 2004 U.S. Senate race. Sen. Obama has donated to charity about $150,000 in campaign contributions linked to Mr. Rezko. Sen. Obama's association with Mr. Rezko dates to 1990, when Mr. Rezko offered the then-Harvard law student a job in his low-income housing-development firm. Sen. Obama turned down the job, but Mr. Rezko was among his earliest supporters when Sen. Obama ran for the Illinois state Senate in 1995. The Illinois senator bought his Chicago home in 2005 on the same day Mr. Rezko's wife, Rita, purchased an adjacent lot from the same sellers. Sen. Obama later bought part of that property. The home-purchase deal came a year before Mr. Rezko's indictment but after it was known he was facing federal scrutiny. Sen. Obama has said the deal was a mistake because it created the appearance of impropriety. Write to Ilan Brat at ilan.brat@wsj.com
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