George Ryan Will Get Early Work Release, Report

The former governor is said to be heading to a halfway house on Chicago's West Side

Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan could be getting out of prison in two weeks, according to a report.

Ryan is said to be scheduled for release on Jan. 30 and heading to a halfway house on Chicago's West Side, Chicago Sun-Times' Michael Sneed reported Saturday.

The 78-year-old Ryan is serving a 6 1/2-year sentence at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., for a 2006 conviction on corruption charges.

Last August, Ryan's attorney, former Gov. Jim Thompson, said the former governor had qualified for an early release program. The program would allow Ryan to be released five months before his July 2013 parole.

Thompson's announcement was made a few days after a federal court had denied Ryan's appeal seeking an early release.

Ryan had wanted to be released from his six-and-a-half year prison term following a Supreme Court ruling on honest services that affected his case. The appellate court upheld the former governor's corruption convictions last July. But the Supreme Court didn't like how they arrived at their upheld conviction and asked them to try again.

The appellate court said the U.S. Supreme Court ruling curtailing "honest services" laws didn't apply since Ryan's case clearly involved bribery and kickbacks.

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