Antoin
"Tony" Rezko - Convicted Felon and Slum Lord
This
shining example of Chicago politics had been raising money for politicians since
the 1980's. Indicted in 2006, he was recently convicted for fraud and bribery.
He was born in Syria in 1955 and moved to Chicago after graduating college.
Obama
worked for the law firm of Davis, Miner, Barnhill and Galland. Rezko's company,
Rezmar was a client of the law firm. Obama helped Rezmar get over $43 million
in government funding. The law firm's former senior partner, Allison Davis, went
into business with Rezko. Davis was then appointed to the Illinois State Board
of Investment after Rezko told the democrat governor to do so.
Rezko was one
of the people on Obama's U.S. Senate campaign finance committee. Rezko raised
lots of money for Obama's political career. Around this same time, Obama bought
a $1.65 million home. Although, Obama seemingly couldn't afford such a property.
its price was $300,000 below market value. On that very same day, Rezko's wife
Rita bought the adjoining lot at full price. By the way, arrested Illinois Governor
Rod Blagojevich's wife, Patricia, was the real estate broker.
A short time later,
Rezko was indicted on 24 counts of fraud and bribery. The Rezkos then sold Obama
a ten foot strip of the property at a cost of $60,000 over its market value. This
made the Rezko's remaining property too small for any development.
Almost ten
years before this real estate deal, Obama used his influence to get $14 million
for a housing project that would become another piece of Rezko's slum empire.
During the democrat primaries, Hillary Clinton mentioned how Obama had represented
Rezko the slum lord.
Of course, Obama distanced himself from Rezko saying that
the real estate deals were just a coincidence and that Rezko was not the Rezko
he knew.
