ILLINOIS : Rostenkowski Prison Term Begins July 22

A judge ordered former Rep. Dan Rostenkowski to report to a federal medical prison in Rochester, Minn., July 22 to begin serving a 17-month sentence for mail fraud. The Illinois Democrat, who underwent prostate surgery in May, wanted to report to a federal prison in Oxford, Wis., which is closer to his native Chicago. U.S. District Judge Norma Holloway Johnson granted him the extra time to recuperate but refused to allow him to report to Oxford. She also ruled that he will be paying for the costs of his incarceration. Rostenkowski, former chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of mail fraud in a case in which he was accused of misusing his office and its perks for decades. He portrayed himself as a victim who did nothing different from any other member of Congress.