Tagged: George Ryan

Former Illinois Governor George Ryan was described as being in "decent spirits" after being released from the federal prison where he served more than five years on corruption charges.

Former Illinois Governor Jim Thompson accompanied Ryan on the trip from the lock-up in Terre Haute, IN, to Chicago, where Ryan reported to a halfway house early Wednesday.

Ryan wore a suit and tie as he walked into the facility. He was unable to speak to the media because he's still in custody.

Illinois is known as the Land of Lincoln but it could just as easily be called the Land of Graft.

Illinois is the second most corrupt  state -- and Chicago is the city with the most public corruption -- according to a report released by researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago and  the Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

The report said there have been more than 1,500 corruption convictions in the  federal district dominated by Chicago since 2010.