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CHICAGO (AP) - Former Illinois Governor George Ryan has been convicted of racketeering and fraud.
A jury in Chicago found him guilty on all counts, in a corruption scandal that ended his political career.
Before being caught up in that scandal, Ryan drew international praise as governor, when he commuted the sentences of everyone on the state's death row.
He now faces up to 20 years in prison for racketeering conspiracy, the most serious of the charges in the 22-count indictment.
He was accused of steering big-money state contracts to friends and political insiders. In return, prosecutors said, he was rewarded with annual vacations in Jamaica and elsewhere, and other gifts.
Co-defendant Larry Warner was also convicted of rackteering conspiracy and other charges. He's a Chicago businessman, and a friend of Ryan's.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
