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Subpoena hits Blagojevich's inner circle
Pushing further into Gov. Rod Blagojevich's inner circle, federal investigators have subpoenaed records involving a lobbyist friend who represented a hospital company that won a favorable state ruling.The company's for-profit affiliate donated $25,000 to Blagojevich's campaign a month after the state's action. John Wyma, a top fundraiser and former Blagojevich aide, was named in a federal subpoena delivered two weeks ago to Provena Health, according to sources. It sought records about Provena's lobbying relationship with Wyma, the donation and the company's efforts to win approval for a new heart program. That decision was made by the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board, which has figured prominently in a corruption investigation that has led to influence-peddling convictions against several Blagojevich insiders. Wyma is among Blagojevich's closest confidants, fundraisers and friends. Before becoming a top state lobbyist, he was Blagojevich's chief of staff when he was in Congress and played key roles in the governor's campaigns. Blagojevich has denied any wrongdoing and insisted his administration has cleaned up state government. But with every subpoena in the three-year probe, investigators are stepping deeper into the governor's inner circle and tightening their focus on a cadre of influential fundraisers who supported Blagojevich from his first term. In another sign of that deepening investigation, federal agents subpoenaed fundraising records related to another insider--Springfield power broker William Cellini. Posted by: Fred 2008-10-24 |
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