Lawyers want limit on questioning of witness

Prosecutors asked a federal judge Wednesday to bar political fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko's defense attorney from cross examining key witness Ali Ata about his nephew's drug dealing.

Ata, the former executive director of the Illinois Finance Authority, pleaded guilty last week to tax fraud and lying to a federal agent and agreed to take the stand as a prosecution witness at Rezko's fraud trial in Chicago.

Prosecutors say Ata is prepared to testify he got his state job by giving campaign money to Gov. Rod Blagojevich and, fearful that he might be fired, paid Rezko $125,000 in cash. Blagojevich is not charged with any wrongdoing.

Ata also is prepared to say that Rezko discussed the possibility that influential Republicans would have Chicago's chief federal prosecutor fired and replaced with someone who would drop the Rezko investigation.

Prosecutors acknowledged in a six-page court paper filed Wednesday that Ata's nephew was convicted in December 2003 of charges involving the illegal distribution of pseudoephedrine, an ingredient in methamphetamine.

The nephew used a warehouse belonging to a business associated with Ata but said "the witness Ali Ata himself was never charged or implicated," prosecutors said.

"There are neither substantiated allegations of Ali Ata's own wrongdoing nor any open investigation into the matter," prosecutors said.

They asked U.S. District Judge Amy J. St. Eve to bar defense attorneys from asking Ata questions about it. She did not immediately rule.

Rezko, 52, is charged with scheming to split a $1.5 million bribe from a contractor who wanted state permission to build a hospital in the McHenry County suburb of Crystal Lake. He is also charged with scheming to pressure kickbacks out of firms wanting to do business with the $40 billion pension fund that pays the salaries of retired school teachers.

Prosecutors say Rezko's fundraising on behalf of Blagojevich gave him the clout to manipulate the decision-making process behind the scenes. Rezko denies he took part in such a scheme.

Ata is due to take the stand as early as Thursday and prosecutors expect to rest their case Monday or Tuesday after eight weeks of government testimony. It is unclear how long a defense case there might be but St. Eve says closing arguments could start as early as May 12.