Ryan, co-defendant pay up on fines

Ex-gov, Warner convicted of racketeering

Even as former Gov. George Ryan pursues an appeal of his conviction on corruption charges, he and co-defendant Lawrence Warner have begun to pay up.

Warner, a businessman, recently paid the government $1.7 million, an amount the two were ordered to forfeit after a jury convicted them in a wide-ranging racketeering conspiracy trial last April.

Ryan has paid $20,000 in court fees and Warner is also about to pay another $75,000 fine after a land sale has gone through, according to prosecutors.

If the appeal is successful and the convictions are overturned, the money will be held in an escrow account until a retrial is through, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Collins said.

Among the charges against Ryan was that he steered state government leases and contracts to friends such as Warner, then took gifts and perks in return. Warner made millions of dollars from the state during Ryan's tenure.

Ryan and Warner's fate is now up to the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which heard arguments on the case Feb. 20.

nkorecki@suntimes.com