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Former Ill. governor wants out of prison

CHICAGO, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- Former Illinois Gov. George Ryan has asked for release from prison on compassionate grounds, with lawyers saying his wife has no more than 3 years to live.

Lura Lynn Ryan, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, attended a hearing Thursday in U.S. District Court in Chicago breathing with the help of a portable oxygen tank, the Chicago Tribune reported. George Ryan's lawyers said Lura Lynn Ryan has a number of other conditions that make the fibrosis hard to treat.

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George Ryan is serving a 6 1/2-year prison term after being convicted of bribery, tax evasion and other charges. He's been in prison nearly 2 years.

His lawyers argue he has good shot at winning an appeal because some of the charges involve a federal "honest services" law the U.S. Supreme Court recently found unconstitutionally vague and that he has served his time on the remaining counts.

U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, who presided over his trial, scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Nov. 1.

"I miss him greatly," Lura Lynn Ryan said after the hearing.

She said she wrote a letter to former first lady Barbara Bush after Ryan went to prison in November 2007, asking her to use her influence with her son, President George W. Bush, to grant clemency.

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