A lawyer for former Illinois Gov. George Ryan says he’ll ask President Barack Obama to commute his more than six-year sentence.
A lawyer for former Illinois Gov. George Ryan says he’ll ask President Barack Obama to commute his more than six-year sentence. Ryan’s attorney, former Illinois Gov. Jim Thompson, says he’ll present a petition to Obama while keeping in mind the president has "other things on his plate." But Thompson says Obama knows Ryan, and "a merciful president" would let Ryan come home to his wife, Lura. Both are in their 70s. Thompson also petitioned former President George Bush for a Ryan commutation. Thompson says the request was overlooked because of the arrest of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on federal corruption charges. Ryan is more than a year into a 6 1/2-year racketeering and fraud sentence. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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