Christopher Kelly avoided prison time. Story suggests OD on pain medication.
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/clo ... -dead.html Christopher Kelly, key figure in Blagojevich corruption probe, is deadPosted by Jeff Coen and Jeremy Gorner at 3:10 p.m.; last updated at 4:25 p.m.
Christopher Kelly, a key figure in the federal corruption probe into former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, is dead.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office today confirmed that a body identified as Christopher Kelly of Burr Ridge was brought to the morgue from Stroger Hospital. The office said Kelly died of salicylate intoxication.
According to medical reference guides, salicylates are used in anti-inflammatory and pain relief medications. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday.
Earlier today, two sources with knowledge of the situation told the Tribune they have been notified that Kelly died. Kelly is a former confidant and top fundraiser for Blagojevich, who was accused of using his office to leverage campaign donations and benefits for himself and his family.
Kelly’s attorney, Michael Monico, declined to comment today when reached by a Tribune reporter.
Kelly, who was indicted alongside Blagojevich in April, pleaded guilty this week in a separate federal case.
On Tuesday, in a surprise move just a day before his scheduled trial, Kelly, owner of a roofing business, pleaded guilty to two counts of mail fraud as part of a kickback scheme to illegally obtain $8.5 million in work at O'Hare International Airport.
At the time, Kelly, 51, said he was under pressure from federal prosecutors to cooperate in their investigation of Blagojevich, but he refused.
Kelly faced a sentence of almost 5 years in prison on top of the roughly 3 years in prison he got in June for his guilty plea to tax offenses.
The Tribune published a profile of Kelly in December 2007 after his first indictment. You can read it by clicking here.
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