Former governor sentenced

CHICAGO – Former Gov. George Ryan, who was acclaimed by capital punishment foes for suspending executions in Illinois and emptying out death row, was sentenced Wednesday to 6 1/2 years behind bars in the corruption scandal that ruined his political career.

“When they elected me as the governor of this state, they expected better, and I let ‘em down and for that I apologize,” the 72-year-old Republican said in court before hearing his sentence.

Federal prosecutors had asked for eight to 10 years in prison. Defense attorneys argued that even 2 1/2 years would deprive Ryan of the last healthy years of his life.

The former governor was ordered to report to prison Jan. 4, but his attorneys are trying to keep him free on bond pending appeal – a matter the judge will decide on later.

Ryan was convicted in April of racketeering conspiracy, fraud and other offenses for taking payoffs from political insiders in exchange for state business while he was Illinois secretary of state from 1991 to 1999 and governor for four years after that. The verdict capped Illinois’ biggest political corruption trial in decades.

Prosecutors said Ryan doled out big-money contracts and leases to his longtime friend, businessman-lobbyist Larry Warner, and other insiders and received such things as Caribbean vacations and a golf bag in return.

Ryan and Warner, 67, have maintained that nothing they did in connection with leases and contracts was illegal.