Chris Kelly pleads guilty to O'Hare scheme

By Bethany Jaeger
Christopher Kelly, a close adviser and fundraiser for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, pleaded guilty today to two counts of mail fraud in one of three federal indictments against him. But it's unknown whether he's cooperating in the ex-governor's ongoing corruption trial.

Read his plea agreement here. The Burr Ridge resident reports to jail September 18 and will forfeit $450,000 for a scheme of rigging roofing contracts with two major airlines and using illegal kickbacks for personal use. On top of a three-year prison sentence for a separate tax fraud case, his plea Tuesday calls for a nearly five-year sentence.


Kelly pleaded guilty to rigging bids to steer $8.5 million in inflated contracts for roofing work done on American Airlines and United Airline facilities at O’Hare International Airport between 1998 and 2006. The scheme benefited BCI Commercial Roofing Inc. in Markham, of which he is president and owner.

About $1 million of the kickbacks went to repay gambling debts and a home loan, according to the plea. Some of the kickbacks also went to entities associated with Tony Rezko.

Kelly originally was charged with 11 counts of mail fraud and six counts of money laundering for the scheme.

• His December 2007 indictment charged him with using corporate funds from his roofing and consulting firms to pay illegal gambling debt. He received three years in prison for those charges.
• His February 2009 indictment includes the O’Hare kickback scheme. His plea seeks nearly 4.5 years more on two counts of mail fraud.
• He still faces trial for his involvement in Blagojevich’s ongoing corruption case, scheduled for court June 2010.