From the Sun-Times:

Ryan's team takes over as feds rest after 77 witnesses

February 3, 2006

BY NATASHA KORECKI AND ABDON PALLASCH Staff Reporters
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After nearly five months of testimony and 77 witnesses, the prosecution team that mounted the corruption case against former Gov. George Ryan stood up Thursday, faced the jury, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Collins said what everyone had been waiting to hear.

"On behalf of the U.S. government, we rest," Collins said.

With that, the defense started its own case, attempting to knock down 18 weeks of evidence presented by the prosecution against Ryan, 71, and his pal Lawrence Warner, 67.

Ryan's team called to the stand Vicki Easley, a longtime Ryan secretary who had also been called as a prosecution witness. Easley testified that employees gave Ryan cash-stuffed envelopes just about every Christmas in the eight years Ryan held office as secretary of state and his four years as governor.

Testimony: No pressure to chip in

She estimated the collections ranged from $1,500 to $4,000, and told defense lawyer Timothy McCaffrey there was no pressure to contribute; people gave as little as $5 each. She said she or another secretary then changed all the cash into larger bills, stuffed the cards and handed them to Ryan.

Her testimony aimed to show another legitimate way money got into Ryan's pocket when bank account records indicate he withdrew only $6,700 in cash in a nine-year period. Prosecutors charge that cash flowed to Ryan from buddies who got rich off state contracts and leases.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Levin questioned whether those Christmas office collections were all that legitimate, and whether people felt pressured to give money.

Levin showed lists kept of the office collections. They included individuals' names, their jobs and the amount they gave. In some cases, janitors and security guards contributed $25 each.

"So, he was willing to take cash from anyone who was giving it?" Levin asked, noting that Ryan was the highest paid official in the office and took money from even the lowest paid.

Levin questioned if Easley knew of Ryan ever giving the janitor money at Christmas. She didn't. He asked if Ryan ever returned any of the money and she said she never knew of him doing that.

"In all these years did he ever tell you he had a personal policy of not accepting gifts of more than $50?"

"No," Easley said.

Note shows math: $13.82 average

A 1997 card read: "Sometimes we wonder how we wound up with the World's Best Boss." But in several of the cards, Levin pointed to what looked like Ryan's handwriting --where, Easley testified, Ryan noted the amount he was given, then divided by the number of people who gave. In 2001, for instance, that meant $13.82 for each of the 34 people who gave.

Then Levin showed a long list of people who ponied up to Ryan's Christmas collection in 2002 when he was governor. The names ranged from directors within the governor's office to workers in other state agencies to lobbyists who Ryan pledged not to take gifts from. Most had given $100, and Levin asked if that had been the recommended amount. Easley said she believed people gave what they chose.

Gubernatorial candidate Ron Gidwitz was among those on the list. Gidwitz has no recollection of giving the money, his spokeswoman Terri Hickey said.

Earlier in the day, FBI agent Raymond Ruebenson denied he and Collins played any "tricks" on Ryan when they interviewed him.

But Ryan attorney Bradley Lerman asked Ruebenson why Collins asked Ryan, "Are these the first two checks that you got from Tony DeSantis?" when they handed him a pair of 1998 checks. They already had six other checks the businessman gave Ryan or his family members from 1994 to 1997.

'They look you in the eye and lie'

"He actually knew those were the last two checks -- isn't that right?" Lerman asked Ruebenson.

Ruebenson at first disagreed, but after a few more questions, said, "I believe that's right."

"I go into every interview with an open mind and without pre-judging. . . . I follow the leads and the evidence," Ruebenson said.

"Sometimes people make mistakes," Collins said to Ruebenson.

"Yes," Ruebenson answered.

"Sometimes they look you in the eye and lie right to you," said Collins, who brought false statement charges against Ryan.

"Yes," Ruebenson answered.


HIGHLIGHTS

PROSECUTION: Rests its case after 18 weeks of testimony. Questions George Ryan's practice of accepting cash from his employees for holiday gifts.

DEFENSE: Employees almost every year gave Ryan $1,500 to $4,000 in cash for holiday gifts. The employee cash is a legitimate source of how Ryan had cash in his pocket despite rarely withdrawing money from his accounts.

UP NEXT: Cross examination of onetime Ryan secretary continues Monday.