Was $100K to Patti Blagojevich tied to state biz?

Sun-Times:

A Chicago developer and donor to Gov. Blagojevich steered more than $100,000 in commissions to first lady Patti Blagojevich's real estate firm before a business owned by the developer's parents saw dramatic increases in state payments.

Virgil Tiran's real estate ties to the governor's wife are coming to light as federal investigators scrutinize her relationships with real estate clients, including recently convicted former gubernatorial fund-raiser Tony Rezko.

Patti Blagojevich's company, River Realty, listed dozens of condominium units Tiran and various partners had been developing throughout the city's North and Northwest sides between 2001 and 2004, real estate records show. River Realty sold 17 units between August 2001 and April 2002, allowing the firm to get an estimated $108,000 in commissions.

In 2002, before Blagojevich took office, the state paid Tiran's parents' home-care company for the developmentally disabled, Diane Home Care, $183,000. In 2003, during the governor's first year in office, the payments increased to $325,000. Last year, Diane Home Care did $1.1 million in state business through a contract with the Human Services Department.

Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero denied any suggestion of pay-to-play politics in the firm's spike in business, which the administration attributed to the firm's good track record and ability to serve a higher volume of clients.