From the Tribune: 
 
U.S. pushes to bring up deadly '94 crash 
Defense didn't want kids' deaths in trial 
 
By Matt O'Connor and Rudolph Bush 
Tribune staff reporters 
Published October 19, 2005 
 
 In a bombshell announcement as the trial of former Gov. George Ryan's recessed on Tuesday, prosecutors said they would seek to bring out evidence about the fatal crash of six children, an inflammatory issue the defense has vehemently opposed. 
 
 Outside the jury's presence, Assistant U.S. Atty. Patrick Collins argued that the defense's lengthy cross-examination of Scott Fawell, Ryan's former chief of staff, swung the door "wide open" for prosecutors to get into the hot-button issue. 
 
 But the defense quickly objected, and the judge deferred ruling on the dispute until both sides submit written arguments. 
 
 In defending Ryan's 1995 decision to reorganize the secretary of state's internal investigative arm, Fawell on Tuesday criticized one investigator for concluding that fundraising by the Ryan campaign had to be the motive for a theft at a licensing facility. 
 
 "It's ridiculous," responded Dan Webb, Ryan's lead lawyer, in apparent agreement with Fawell. 
 
 Collins cited that exchange in arguing that prosecutors should be allowed to show that the same investigator, Russell Sonneveld, tried to open an investigation into the 1994 crash that killed six children of Rev. Duane and Janet Willis. 
 
 Ryan's handpicked inspector general blocked the investigation, prosecutors said. 
 
 "We believe that is absolutely critical for the jury to hear," Collins told U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, who is presiding over the trial. 
 
 The Willises' van erupted in flames when a large part fell off a truck driven by Ricardo Guzman, who was later convicted in the Operation Safe Road probe of paying a bribe to obtain his license. 
 
 The crash sparked the criminal probe that exposed thousands of hazardous drivers who bought licenses with bribes and ultimately led to the indictment of Ryan and his inner circle. 
 
 Webb said he was a bit stunned by the prosecutors' request, saying he made "a conscious choice" to cover only topics that the government had gone into in its direct examination of Fawell. 
 
 Attorney Edward Genson, who is representing co-defendant Lawrence Warner, also voiced concerns that any testimony about the crash would taint the trial and prompt him to seek a mistrial. 
 
 Days before Ryan's trial started last month, his lawyers sought to bar any reference to the horrific crash, saying in a filing that it would "inflame the passions of the jury" and "destroy any chance" of Ryan receiving a fair trial. 
 
 Prosecutors ultimately decided against presenting the testimony--until Webb's cross-examination. 
 
 Collins said he would also seek to introduce evidence that Pallmeyer had previously blocked: Ryan's placing two former state legislators on the state payroll to allegedly sweeten their pensions and Ryan's plan to set aside $1 million in campaign funds as "a nest egg" if he had lost the governor's election in 1998. 
 
 Collins appeared agitated at the apparent relish he saw his star witness take in undermining parts of the case against Ryan. Fawell "happily" and "eagerly" had answered Webb's questions, Collins said. 
 
 Fawell, serving a 6 1/2-year sentence for corruption, hasn't hidden his disdain for prosecutors, making it clear he reluctantly decided to cooperate in a bid to save fiance Alexandra "Andrea" Coutretsis, a former aide, from prison. 
 
 Under questioning by Webb, Fawell characterized Ryan's decision to reorganize the inspector general's office as part of a routine reassessment as Ryan started his second term as secretary of state. The inspector general was combined into the office's police department to cut costs and increase accountability, he said. 
 
 The indictment accuses Ryan of gutting the corruption-fighting arm to prevent its investigators from uncovering improper political fundraising and bribery by employees at licensing facilities. 
 
 Fawell said he disliked internal investigators' gung-ho techniques, saying they liked to charge into licensing facilities waving badges. He has also contended Sonneveld and other investigators were too quick to blame campaign fundraising as the motive for any internal wrongdoing. 
 
 He said he was unaware of any internal investigation being squelched because of the reorganization of the inspector general's office. 
 
 In his fourth day of cross-examination, Fawell also denied that he or Ryan demanded campaign contributions from people seeking low-digit license plates. 
 
 Fawell said that only about one-fifth of those on a list of applicants from 1996 had ever contributed to Ryan's political fund. 
 
 Fawell said he usually approved most of the requests for low-digit plates before passing the list onto Ryan's secretary for his apparent decision. 
 
 Prosecutors contend Ryan used the coveted plates to reward political allies and campaign contributors. 
 
 Fawell also testified that he, not Ryan, made the decision to classify campaign expenditures to several Ryan relatives as campaign work, even though they hadn't done such work. 
 
 Fawell also described Ryan as generous but said he tipped reasonable amounts based on the service provided, up to $50 to a waiter. 
 
 Prosecutors alleged that Ryan lived large, flashing a wad of cash, but Fawell said he didn't know how much money Ryan carried. 
 
 He also said that gambling trips the two took to riverboats were infrequent and that Ryan was a modest gambler. 
 
 Asked whether he had ever seen Ryan gambling with black chips worth $100 each, Fawell laughed and said he hadn't seen him do that. 
 
 Ryan also seemed amused, cracking a smile.