Rezko defense rips Levine as 'Pinocchio'
CLOSING ARGUMENTS | Feds admit star witness is corrupt, unlikable
The star witness in Tony Rezko's corruption trial unwittingly stole the spotlight in Monday's closing arguments, with prosecutors admitting Stuart P. Levine is the "embodiment of corruption," while the defense disgustedly tossed him onto the government's doorstep.
At the close of Rezko's two-month trial, defense lawyers worked to show Levine acted alone in defrauding Illinois taxpayers.
(AP)
But prosecutors pointed right back at Rezko, saying he called the shots and Levine's testimony served as just one string in a web of evidence linking him to a litany of corruption involving Gov. Blagojevich's administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar tried to stave off the defense attack, saying Levine's testimony was backed up by secretly recorded calls, other witnesses, documents and e-mails.
"Let's be clear about Stuart Levine: He is the embodiment of corruption," Schar admitted. "On top of that, he's arrogant and unlikable."
But Schar highlighted one secret recording after another where individuals refer to Rezko's involvement in a scheme.
A political fund-raiser and insider, Rezko, 52, of Wilmette, is charged with splitting bribes with Levine by exploiting Levine's position on two state boards.
Just moments into his argument, Rezko lawyer Joseph Duffy tore into Levine, who spent 15 days on the stand. Duffy called him "Pinocchio" and the "consummate con man." Behind him, bold-face words filled a giant screen: FELON, LIAR, THIEF, CONMAN, DRUG ADDICT.
"This case is Stuart Levine," Duffy told jurors, explaining that the 24 charges against Rezko wouldn't exist without Levine. "Each count alleges conduct that didn't require participation by Mr. Rezko to be accomplished."
Duffy furiously pounded away at Levine's memory, his character and his 30-year drug use, including binges in which Levine said he snorted crystal meth and ketamine with others.
"If [Rezko] has that much clout and that much influence, why in the world is he spending that much time with Stuart Levine?" Duffy asked incredulously.
At times, jurors smiled, suppressed chuckles or outright laughed. In poking fun at Levine's memory, Duffy cited an old anti-drug commercial featuring eggs in a frying pan: "This is your brain. This is your brains on drugs. Bingo! They got it right."
Duffy chided Levine for testifying he once penned a large check but blamed it on someone else. "How high do you have to be to write a $3 million check and not remember it?"
He chided Levine again, describing a deer-in-the-headlights quality of staring off toward a blank screen for 30 seconds before giving answers. Duffy dramatically raised his voice and thrust his arms: "I thought there were subliminal messages on the screen."
Several jurors tried to suppress laughter, including one who put her hands over her mouth.
Duffy at one point imitated Levine, leaning into a microphone and giving a loud: "Yes, sir!" when Duffy first asked Levine if he went cold turkey on drugs after the FBI approached him in May 2004.
Duffy pointed to a transcript showing Levine then changed his answer.
But Schar reminded jurors that much of Levine's testimony was backed up by conversations in 2004 that Levine had no idea the feds secretly recorded. Schar also pointed out that a man who got hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash from one of Rezko's and Levine's alleged schemes, Joseph Aramanda, had no ties to Levine.
Aramanda, who ran pizza businesses with Rezko, got a $250,000 finder's fee from an investment deal involving the state Teachers' Retirement System "even though Aramanda had done nothing" for the money, Schar said.
Similar schemes in which Rezko was to share in the dirty proceeds happened with Rezko business associates Charles Hannon and Michael Winter, Schar said. But money never changed hands because the deals fell through.
Schar described a Rezko who held power but needed money. As he described Rezko's pizza businesses as failing and a 62-acre South Loop lot stalled from development, Rezko looked up at Schar and broke into a small smile.
Schar rattled off a list of other corrupt deals from which he said Rezko stood to benefit.
"The evidence has demonstrated, sadly, that [Tony Rezko] corrupted that system," Schar said. "He did it to benefit himself over the interests of the people. He did it to benefit his friends over the interests of the people."