Ex-Blagojevich aide tells of plans to make money

In dramatic testimony at Blagojevich's corruption trial, his one-time chief of staff Alonzo Monk said the two of them, along with fundraisers Tony Rezko and Christopher Kelly, discussed money-making plans, including an insurance company to do business with the state.

Monk, who was Blagojevich's law school roommate and was by his side through most of his political career, said the group calculated each of the plans would raise at least $100,000.

The biggest deal described by Monk that actually came to pass was the sale of $10 billion in state pension bonds in one day by the now-defunct investment bank Bear Stearns.

State lawmakers and some of Blagojevich's aides had assumed that the bonds would be sold in amounts of $2 billion or $3 billion over a period of time. But Monk testified that after going in a back room at his Thompson Center office with Kelly, Blagojevich decided to sell the whole lot in a single day - a step that was beneficial to Bear Stearns.

Monk testified that Rezko later told him that Bear Stearns lobbyist Robert Kjellander promised to pay Rezko $500,000.

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