Rezko lawyers on star witness: He's got 'secret life'

FEDERAL COURT | Filing refers to drugs, 'encounters'

Lawyers for indicted political fund-raiser Tony Rezko on Sunday unleashed a new attack on star prosecution witness Stuart Levine, alleging Levine led a "secret life" that motivated him "to tell the government the story it wanted to hear" about Rezko and kickback schemes involving state pension and hospital boards.

"Two federal fraud indictments did not motivate Levine to plead guilty," Rezko's attorneys wrote in a 16-page filing, many parts of it redacted. "Rather, the evidence shows that Levine was fearful that the government would discover his secret life" and that Levine began cooperating only after learning that the government "had discovered and was investigating his secret life.

"As much as the government would like to describe Levine's [redacted] as merely [redacted], the fact that each such affair involved [redacted] and all-night sessions fueled by huge quantities of illegal drugs gives Levine much more to hide, and much more to fear . . .

"[T]he defense should be entitled to elicit evidence" so a jury can "understand the true nature of Levine's [redacted]" and "fully evaluate the motivations for his testimony."

The filing marks the latest attempt by Rezko's legal team to discredit the prosecution's top witness. Rezko's trial is to start a week from today.

U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve last week ruled Rezko's lawyers can question Levine about his previously disclosed "drug usage," but she barred questions about any "personal social activities" of his. St. Eve, however, allowed Rezko's lawyers to make additional arguments about the matter.

Levine sat on the two state boards involved in the kickback schemes. His recollections are considered key to the case against Rezko, a former fund-raiser for Gov. Blagojevich, Sen. Barack Obama and other politicians.

Besides alleging a "$25,000 per month drug habit" by Levine, Rezko's lawyers alleged Levine had "encounters" at hotels in Lincolnwood and Springfield.

On "several occasions, Levine flew [redacted] and other participants to Springfield on a private jet," they wrote. "Levine would hand [redacted] envelopes full of cash and tell [redacted] to purchase as many drugs as he could with the money inside. [Redacted] last saw Levine in November 2004, when Levine asked [redacted] to meet him at a gas station. There, Levine told [redacted] that they could not have any further contact because Levine did not want the authorities to find out about their relationship."

Reached Sunday night, Levine's lawyer, Jeffrey Steinback, said he could not comment because his client is a witness in the upcoming trial.

Levine, 62, a former HMO magnate and philanthropist, was a top fund-raiser for 2002 GOP gubernatorial nominee Jim Ryan, who lost to Blagojevich. But the governor, citing a spirit of bipartisanship, reappointed Levine to his two unpaid state posts.