Blago's Ex-Fundraiser to be Sentenced

A roofing contractor who helped ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich raise millions of campaign dollars faces sentencing Monday for hiding his use of company funds to buy a house and pay gambling debts from the tax collector.

Christopher G. Kelly, 50, once a trusted member of Blagojevich's inner circle, is set to appear before U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo for sentencing on the first of three federal indictments pending against him.

Kelly also faces charges that he defrauded two airlines in an O'Hare International Airport roofing deal and joined Blagojevich in a racketeering conspiracy to use the muscle of the governor's office to generate money. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Prosecutors have plainly been hoping that the pressure of so many charges against him would persuade the Burr Ridge contractor to become a witness against Blagojevich and spill whatever beans he can about state government corruption.

But thus far there is no sign that he is ready to cooperate and tell whatever secrets he may have learned as chairman of Friends of Rod Blagoejvich.

Prosecutors estimated in January when he pleaded guilty to the charges of obstructing the Internal Revenue Service and illegally structuring cash withdrawals that he could be facing a sentence in the 37- to 46-month range.

Kelly admitted in his signed plea agreement that in November 2001 he funneled $147,000 belonging to his BCI Commercial Roofing Inc. to a Las Vegas casino to pay a gambling debt and produced a bogus document to make it look like a business expense incurred in a roofing job for an airline.

He admitted that in September 2004 he used $150,000 in BCI money to pay his debt to a Chicago-area bookie who took bets on sports events.

Kelly also said in his plea agreement that he used $700,000 in company funds to make a partial payment on his house and did not report it as income.

He also acknowledged that he used thousands of dollars in company funds to pay for home electronics, landscaping, jewelry, draperies, hardwood floors, tree removal, furnace work, insurance and other personal expenses.