Kelly pleaded guilty after feds asked to revoke bond
Request followed shouting match at Milwaukee Ave. club
Just days before he died of an apparent overdose, a defiant Christopher Kelly was resolved to fight a corruption trial he faced, if only to thumb his nose at federal authorities.
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's fund-raiser and adviser suddenly flip-flopped, however, after faced with another point of pressure. On the eve of trial, the government asked a judge to revoke Kelly's bond, the Chicago Sun-Times has learned.
(Brian Jackson/Sun-Times)
"The motion pushed him over the edge," leading him to plead guilty, said a confidant, who asked not to be named. The confidant, however, did not blame the government for the beleaguered Kelly's apparent overdose four days later.
Kelly, who was steadfast that he'd never cooperate with prosecutors -- even after agreeing to surrender to jail this Friday -- had faced numerous stresses: he was indicted three separate times; he was separated from his wife; his house was in foreclosure, and he had long battled gambling and alcohol addictions.
The government's request came after Kelly got into what one source described as a shouting match with an owner of VLive Club. Kelly had demanded to see the club's books. He had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the business through his girlfriend, Clarissa Flores, sources familiar with the exchange said.
Kelly is not listed among the owners of the club, which hosted an Olympic 2016 meeting in July.
Before pleading guilty to an $8.5 million O'Hare Airport contract fraud last week, Kelly at times grew obsessed with the cases facing him and told others he knew there was almost no chance he would win at trial.
"He said: I'm not giving up, what else can I lose?" said the Kelly confidant. "He was possessed that he was getting screwed."
After his guilty plea, Kelly agreed not to go near the club at 2047 N. Milwaukee.
U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle asked Kelly if he was "being pressured or forced or shoved" into pleading guilty.
"I would be remiss if I didn't say that there was a great deal of pressure in my life right now," Kelly said. "But I'm doing it freely, and willingly, understandingly, knowingly, conscious of the ramifications of my actions, and I'm accepting responsibility here in front of you today, Judge Norgle."
Also Monday, Flores, who drove Kelly to the hospital the night of his apparent overdose, answered questions from investigators who had been pressing for her cooperation.
Country Club Hills Mayor Dwight Welch said police are looking for Kelly's and Flores' cell phones, which contain the final text message between them. Later Monday, Welch said he plans to "lay out the timeline" leading up to Kelly's death at a Tuesday afternoon news conference. "Bring your pen and paper, you will be very surprised," Welch said.
After Flores found Kelly sick in his SUV, she pushed him into Oak Forest Hospital in a wheelchair. He was "very combative and had to be restrained to calm him down," a source said.
When Kelly appeared stable and calm, Dr. Basava Ancha, who treated Kelly, decided it was best to transfer him to Stroger Hospital, where the county's top toxicologist was on duty.
Ancha rode with Kelly in the ambulance. The doctor could have detoured to Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, which is about eight miles away from Oak Forest Hospital, if needed. But there was no indication of an immediate need to go to Christ instead of Stroger, which is 25 miles away, the source said.
Ancha declined to comment.
Welch said prescription and over-the-counter pills were found in Kelly's SUV. A source said Kelly told police he took Tylenol for pain. Part of the police death investigation involves talking to a man identified through surveillance tapes who was at the hospital over the weekend. A second man, Michael Allen, had simply moved Kelly's SUV at the request of Kelly's wife.
On Sunday, Welch said that Kelly's remarks to a police officer indicated he had tried to kill himself.
Contributing: Stefano Esposito