From Crain's Chicago Business:

March 20, 2003
After Fawell trial, who's next?

The big question for federal prosecutors in their ongoing political corruption investigation is, "Who's next?" But, so far, the government is holding its cards close.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald would not comment when asked if former governor George Ryan is a target of the ongoing Operation Safe Road probe or whether the probe would move up the political ladder to higher ups in the GOP.

Former Ryan aide Scott Fawell, 45, was convicted Wednesday by a federal jury on charges that included racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud and stealing state property.

Mr. Fawell and the Citizens for Ryan campaign committee also were found guilty of using state employees working on state time to run Ryan's campaigns for almost a decade. The charges stem from the eight-year period when former Gov. Ryan was Illinois secretary of state.

One of the government's key witnesses in the Fawell trial testified that Gov. Ryan was present when orders were given to shred potential evidence. Citizens for Ryan attorney Tom Breen says he doubts Gov. Ryan was in the room at the time and if he was there's no evidence he heard the conversation.

The former governor has not been charged with any wrongdoing. He issued a statement following the Wednesday verdicts saying he was saddened and he wished his former second in command well as Mr. Fawell prepares for what could be an eight-year prison term.

Mr. Fawell is the top official charged so far in the five-year federal investigation into Ryan's tenure as secretary of state, before his election as governor in 1998.

The seven-week trial put a spotlight on political corruption in Illinois, where dozens of officeholders have been sent to prison for bribery and helping themselves to government resources to fuel their campaigns.

Witnesses at the Fawell trial said state officials swapped official favors for campaign money, kickbacks and free trips to Costa Rica.

Mr. Fawell's attorneys argued that he did nothing that wasn't traditionally part of the rough and tumble of Illinois politics, and if a few enthusiastic campaign volunteers broke the law he knew nothing about it.