More reflections on Gov Ryan conviction and sentencing

This initial post on the sentencing of former Illinois Gov George Ryan following his conviction on racketeering, fraud and other charges has already generated some interesting comments.  In addition, Ellen Podgor has some broader reflections on the verdict here at White Collar Crime Prof Blog.

This news story quotes a local legal analyst making a rough guess at Ryan's likely sentence: "Based upon all the factors that are in the federal sentencing guidelines, a guess would be somewhere between nine and 12 years would be a fair estimate of what his sentence would be."  I suppose that's a reasonable guess given all the charges and potential relevant conduct, althoughthere will surely be a lot of dickering over guideline calculations and Booker issues as Ryan's August sentencing approaches.

For the 72-year-old Ryan, perhaps the most critical personal issue might be whether he will be free on bail while pursuing an appeal of his conviction.   The complications of the case mean his appeals might take a number of years to resolve, and I am sure Ryan would like to spend that time on the outside.

UPDATE:  I had a chance to do a segment discussing some of the complications raised by Ryan's upcoming sentencing with Chicago Public Radio on Tuesday morning, and the audio of the interview can now be accessed at this link.

MORE: How Appealing now has much of the media coverage of the Ryan conviction here.