Tricky Dick Posner is not one of my favorite judges but he sure hit the nail on the head this time.

Chicagobreakingnews.com (A division of the Chicago Tribune.)

It was a sentence that stunned Chicago when it was handed down in February: Former Ald. Edward Vrdolyak, long known as “Fast Eddie,” wouldn’t be spending a single day in prison after pleading guilty to fraud. Now it appears he’s not in the clear just yet.

An influential 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals judge signaled today that he has serious issues with the probation sentence imposed on Vrdolyak by U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur.

Judge Richard Posner, joined at the oral argument by two other judges, even asked the prosecution if it wanted a federal judge other than Shadur to re-sentence Vrdolyak.

“You’re not going to get anywhere with Judge Shadur because he’s made up his mind,” said Posner.

In a rare move, the U.S. attorney’s office appealed Shadur’s sentence of five years’ probation. Vrdolyak had pleaded guilty for his role in a kickback scheme in which a Gold Coast real-estate deal was rigged so he could secretly split a $1.5 million finder’s fee with corrupt insider Stuart Levine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Niewoehner told the appeals panel that Shadur erred in concluding that Rosalind Franklin University, which owned the building, hadn’t lost any money in the rigged sale. That played a key part in Vrdolyak eluding prison time.

But Posner said it was the corruption of the bidding process, not whether the school lost money, that was important. “What is probation for such a crime?” Posner asked incredulously. “It’s nothing,” he said. “The punishment was not a punishment for a serious offense.”

For the complete story, CLICK HERE.