Love, Lies & Drama Gets Woman A Sentence in Federal Jail
CHICAGO-- Alexandra “Andrea” Coutretsis the fiancée of Scott Fawell, ex-aide to former Gov. George Ryan, was sentenced Monday to four months in prison for lying to a federal grand jury investigating acts of corruption in the Illinois Secretary of State’s office when Ryan held the top position. When she began working at the office both she and Scott were married to other people. Soon after her employment began, the two were inseperatable. They fell in love. Now that love or rather the high drama of their lives has cost them both, dearly. Both of them will have been branded convicted felons. Not a good way to start over in life, is it. But this young impressionable woman was in "LOVE". Willing to do just about anything including lying to a grand jury for the "LOVE" of her life. What kind of life will she have when Scott Fawell is released
in 6 1/2 years. Although they won't be standing in the food stamp line, you can guess their life together won't be easy.
The Judge her to service 4 1/2 months in prision and 2 years of supervised release following her release from prison, according to U.S. Attorney's office.
Coutretsis pleaded guilty in December 2003 to one count of perjury for lying to a federal grand jury investigating corruption in Ryan’s administration in the hopes of saving Fawell and other Ryan aides from criminal exposure. Through her plea agreement, she agreed to cooperate with authorities and provided information relating to a bid-rigging scheme at the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority.
Coutretsis, orginaly faced up to 18 months in prison for pleading guilty to a mail fraud charge in the bid-rigging case and for lying to the grand jury. But because she persuaded Fawell to testify against Former Governor Ryan at his trial, the government decided to seek six months incarceration for Coutretsis in the perjury case. The former Governor will be sentenced in November.
Fawell has said he wanted his cooperation to benefit his fiancee by helping her avoid prison time because the couple feared she would lose custody of her children. The two were engaged after Fawell started doing time in a Yankton, S.D., prison.
For the sake of "Love" drama and a life doomed, it's not worth it.
