The people going to battle

For the defense:

Joseph Duffy: A onetime prosecutor and shrewd defense lawyer with more than 25 years experience in white collar crime cases, Duffy is Rezko’s chief defense lawyer. Duffy also represented Muslim charity leader Enaam Arnaout and Patricia Duff, mother of politically-connected businessman James Duff.

William Ziegelmueller: Joined the Stetler & Duffy law firm in 2001. Ziegelmueller’s specialty is with health care fraud and abuse and compliance matters, according to the law firm’s Web site. Ziegelmueller graduated magna cum laude, with honors, from Wake Forest University and earned a law degree in 1994 from Northwestern University.

Mariah Moran: Previously worked with Chicago defense lawyer Tom Durkin. Moran’s previous work includes Robert Sorich, in the high-profile City Hall corruption case. Moran served as a law clerk to the U.S. District Judge James T. Moody, who oversaw the trial of White Supremacist Matthew Hale.

For the Prosecution:
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Hamilton. Hamilton, 36, recently prosecuted the Hamas fund-raising trial of Muhammad Salah and ex-Death Row inmate Aaron Patterson. Hamilton is a Bloomington, Illinois native and a 1996 Northwestern Law school graduate. Hamilton coordinates Child exploration and Child prostitution cases for the U.S. Attorney’s office and previously worked in private practice.

Christopher Niewoehner, 37,
Niewoehner is Deputy Chief of General Crimes for the U.S. Attorney’s office. Niewoehner’s previous cases include Patterson and onetime Chicago Ald. Ed Vrdolyak. Niewoehner was a Harvard undergrad and Harvard Law School graduate. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Milton Shadur and worked at Sidley Austin law firm. He joined the U.S. Attorney’s office in 2000.

Reid Schar, 35, is deputy chief of public corruption in the U.S. Attorney’s office. Schar joined Hamilton in the Muhammad Salah Hamas fund-raising trial. Other prosecutions include a Chinatown extortion, a major gang case from Chicago Heights and Oak Forest corruption. Schar is a Stanford Undergraduate and Northwestern Law School graduate. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Elaine Bucklo. He worked at Sidley & Austin at the same time as Niehwoehner. Schar has also served as an adjunct faculty member at Northwestern Law since 2002.