A Chicago-area entrepreneur was arrested Wednesday morning by the FBI on a bevy of mail fraud and tax evasion charges.
Raghuveer Nayak, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich and U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s former campaign fundraiser, was arrested at his home in Oak Brook, Ill., and charged in a 19-count indictment, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
According to the indictment, Nayak, who testified for the prosecution in both Blagojevich trials, filed falsified income tax returns and bribed doctors so that they would refer patients to the outpatient surgery centers he owns, an illegal practice.
Nayak allegedly promised to raise $1 million for Blagojevich if Jackson was appointed to fill President Barack Obama's former U.S. seat, ABC Chicago reports. Jackson has fervently and consistently denied that accusation.
Prosecutors are seeking $1.8 million worth of "alleged fraud proceeds" from Nayak, the Chicago Tribune reports.
The counts against Nayak, 57, include 10 counts of mail fraud, five of interstate travel in aid of racketeering and four of filing false tax returns -- one for each year between 2005 and 2008, according to CBS Chicago.
Nayak owns the Rogers Park One Day Surgery Center, Inc., 7616 N. Paulina St., and the Lakeshore Surgery Center LLC, 7200 N. Western Ave., in Chicago.
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