Winston Chairman and Senior Chairman Represent Gov. George Ryan

Winston & Strawn Chairman Dan Webb and Senior Chairman Gov. James Thompson were quoted in a September 9 article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune titled, “George Ryan, Asking to be Freed, Says Wife ‘Terminally Ill.’”

The Winston trial lawyers appeared in court that morning asking U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer to free their client based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Skilling decision earlier this year to limit the “honest services” fraud law to those instances in which there is evidence of bribery or extortion. Mr. Ryan is currently serving a 6 ½ year sentence for his conviction on a number of corruption charges not based on the “honest services” law, but his time already served in prison would likely exceed the normally allotted time for them and that should justify his immediate release. The defense team also cited the poor health of the ex-governor’s wife, who is battling lung disease.

“George Ryan is now in prison serving time for something the U.S. Supreme Court has said is not a crime,” Webb told reporters after the hearing. Moreover, he noted, Mrs. Ryan needs to live out her life with her husband. “I miss him greatly,” she said.

Similar stories appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago News Cooperative, and on local broadcast news stations, including ABC/WLS, NBC, and WGN.

The Chicago Sun-Times and CBS Chicago ran similar stories on November 22 in which Gov. Thompson and Mr. Webb made pleas for Governor Ryan's early release.