Don Udstuen in Wisconsin's Oxford Prison, as Man He Advised, George Ryan, Being Sentenced

While arguments are continuing in former Governor George Ryan’s sentencing hearing, the close advisor who is probably one of the main reasons he is in court today has arrived at the Oxford federal prison.

Multi-millionaire former

· Crystal Laker,
· Illinois State Medical Society super-lobbyist
· McHenry County Board-appointed bribe-taking Metra Board member,
· patronage chief for Republican Governor Richard B. Ogilvie,
· top campaign advisor to and fund raiser for Governor George Ryan and
· advisor to and fund raiser for House Republican Leader (and, once, Speaker) Lee Daniels
· top advisor to McHenry County Republican Central Committee Chairman Al Jourdan, who was his assistant in the Ogilvie years, and
· contributor to my state rep campaigns

was “in transit” yesterday, but it’s a short trip to Oxford, Wisconsin.

Udstuen, of course, testified against Ryan, but he led the way to Roger Stanley, who led the way to Scott Fawell and, well, you know the rest.

The question that his former one-semester Northern Illinois University roommate, former State Senator, Banking and Real Estate Commissioner and, now, Metra Board member, Jack Schaffer, and I both wonder is how someone with such a good salary at the Medical Society could end up taking bribes.

“Greed” is about all we could come up with at our 45th Crystal Lake Community High School class reunion last summer.

As I skimmed some of the articles about Udstuen that have appeared on McHenry County Blog, I saw one serious omission—Udstuen’s relationship with long-time House Republican leader Lee Daniels.

Udstuen was a fundraiser and advisory to Daniels. You could infer that from some of the cross-connections in the stories I have posted on McHenry County Blog.

Only being on the edge of the House Republican Campaign Committee operation, I don’t know a lot of details, and I not notice until now that in the 2000 primary when the HRCC was paying for a scurrilous mailing against me that Udstuen did not contribute to my campaign.

It is interesting to note that Daniels’ former chief of staff Mike Tristano (also at the Oxford, Wisconsin, prison) and Udstuen have both promised to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Daniels has not been accused of doing anything wrong by the Federal government, but whistle-blower Rich Means was forthright in his beliefs.

In any event, if you would like to read more about a man whose name did not appear today in any newspaper, but on a non-internet posted chart in the Chicago Tribune, you can find 21 stories about the interconnections of Don Udstuen at McHenry County Blog.