Ryan reassigned to federal prison in Wis.

''We're pleased for his family's sake that it's Oxford,'' Ryan's attorney, former Gov. James R. Thompson, said.

Oxford, where various politicians, mobsters and assorted other big shots from Chicago have served time, is considerably closer to Chicago than the prison camp at Duluth, Minn., where Ryan had been assigned.

Ryan, 73, had been due to report to Duluth next Wednesday to start serving the 61/2-year sentence unless the U.S. Supreme Court grants bail.

Lawyers had been trying to get him reassigned to Oxford. Ryan got the letter reassigning him at his Kankakee home Thursday, Thompson said.

Unlike Duluth, Oxford is within a day's drive of Chicago.

''Both Oxford and Duluth are fine institutions and its not a matter of choosing one over the other, but the travel time to Oxford is better for his family,'' Thompson said.

Ryan was ordered Wednesday to report to prison on Nov. 7 with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saying his ''day of reckoning'' was at hand. Thompson then asked Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens to grant Ryan bail while he tries to get the high court to consider his appeal.

Stevens on Thursday asked the government to reply to the request for bail, which was filed on behalf of both Ryan and co-defendant Larry Warner. They have been free on bond since their April 2006 conviction.

Ryan was convicted by a jury of steering contracts to Warner and other friends, using state resources to run his campaigns and killing an investigation of bribes paid in exchange for truck drivers licenses.

Prosecutors traced $170,000 of the bribe money to the Citizens for Ryan campaign fund which has itself been convicted of racketeering.

Lawyers say trying to get bail from the U.S. Supreme Court is a long shot. But Stevens, who handles such requests originating in the Chicago-based 7th Circuit, on Thursday asked the government to reply to Ryan's request. He gave the solicitor general's office until 2 p.m. Monday.