Former Chicago real estate developer and Democratic fundraiser Tony Rezko was sentenced today to 10 and a half years in prison, after a federal jury convicted him of federal corruption and money laundering.

Rezko was a major fundraiser for Illinois politicians, especially Governor Rod Blagojevich and Sen. Barack Obama. He struggled with over $50 million in personal debt including an over $400,000 debt to casinos in Las Vegas, which may have prompted some of his more brazen schemes to profit by steering pension funds to firms willing to pay him.

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