Illinois Republican governor George Ryan did something similar. Ryan's political career was marred by a scandal called Operation Safe Road, which involved the illegal sale of government licenses, contracts, and leases by state employees during his prior service as Secretary of State. In the wake of numerous convictions of his former aides, he chose not to run for reelection in 2002. Seventy-nine former state officials, lobbyists, and others were charged in the investigation, and at least 75 were convicted.
The corruption scandal leading to Ryan's downfall began more than a decade earlier during a federal investigation into a deadly crash in Wisconsin. Six children from the Willis family of Chicago, Illinois, were killed; their parents, Rev. Duane and Janet Willis, were severely burned. The investigation revealed a scheme inside Ryan's Secretary of State's office in which unqualified truck drivers obtained licenses through bribes.
Of course he was a Republican and was caught and tried. That stuff doesn't happen when democrats are caught doing equally nefarious things.
