Mar 1, 2004 12:00 PM

Former Illinois Gov George Ryan, allegedly involved in the state's commercial driver license (CDL) sales scandal, has been indicted on corruption charges.

A federal grand jury handed up a 22-count indictment against Ryan and an associate charging racketeering conspiracy, mail fraud, tax fraud, and making false statements.

The indictment caps a five-year investigation into allegations that, among other illegal actions, workers under Ryan — while he was Illinois secretary of state — sold CDLs for money that was then used in his campaign for governor.

Among other charges, Ryan is alleged to have ended an internal investigation into the bogus CDL sales after subordinates learned that a truck driver with an illegally obtained license was involved in a fatal crash. He also is accused of lying to investigators about using money from the CDL sales for his campaign coffers.

In a written statement, Ryan's attorney, Dan Webb, said, “I am confident he will be exonerated and a jury will find him not guilty of all charges. Gov Ryan has accumulated no personal wealth, and has a very modest lifestyle. He makes ends meet each month based on Social Security payments and a job pension. He has no meaningful holdings of stocks or bonds.”