Con man turned witness Stuart Levine to be sentenced June 28
BY NATASHA KORECKI Federal Courts Reporter nkorecki@suntimes.com April 17, 2012 10:30AM
Stuart Levine
Updated: April 18, 2012 1:26PM
Stuart Levine — the longtime federal witness whose testimony helped bring down two of the biggest powers behind the scenes in Illinois government — will finally be sentenced for his own crimes. U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve on Tuesday set a June 28 sentencing date for Levine, who testified in the high-profile corruption trials of political fixer Tony Rezko and Springfield businessman and longtime political power broker William Cellini. Both Rezko and Cellini were convicted. Levine, a former Highland Park resident at one time worth $70 milion, once sat on two state boards. He is an admitted serial conman who, from the witness stand, described his own lifetime of scams and swindles, including paying out bribes and extorting others who were seeking state work. Levine has worked out a deal with prosecutors under which they agreed he should serve about five and a half years in prison, thought the ultimate decision is up to St. Eve, who asked prosecutors to include in filings the extent of Levine’s cooperation. Last year, St. Eve sentenced Rezko to 10 ½ years in prison.
