A former close friend and aide of Rod Blagojevich testified against the former Illinois governor, helping prosecutors paint Blagojevich as a corrupt politician.
Alonzo "Lon" Monk testified in U.S. District Court in Chicago Wednesday Blagojevich was in the room on multiple occasions when the then-governor's advisers gathered in 2003 to discuss allegedly illegal deals meant to enrich
them, the Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.
Monk alleged developer Antoin "Tony" Rezko, a key fundraiser for Blagojevich later convicted of corruption, was the mastermind of the illicit plans.
Monk said Rezko charted out ideas on a chalkboard outlining how "hundreds of thousands of dollars" could be made.
One scenario described by Monk, never executed, was to secretly take over the troubled Near North Insurance Brokerage of political insider Michael
Segal, himself later convicted, and use it to broker insurance to the state.
Monk said under that plan Rezko was to hold the profits until Blagojevich left office, the Tribune reported.
As Monk testified, Blagojevich shook his head and took notes. His wife Patti at times rubbed her neck and scanned the courtroom with what the Tribune described as an amazed look.
Monk, who has pleaded guilty in exchange for a reduced prison sentence, said the plotting to use the governor's office to make money started even before Blagojevich was elected in 2002. Monk said Kelly actually broached the idea of making money off of the governor's office shortly before
"I was intrigued and I wanted to make money," Monk testified.
Also testifying was an FBI agent who described how Blagojevich's campaign office was bugged and his telephones tapped in late 2008. Agent Daniel Cain also testified about charts the government created showing Blagojevich's fundraising patterns in the months leading up to his two gubernatorial elections.
Blagojevich went from $4.2 million in campaign funds early in 2002 to more than $23.4 million by the end of that year.