Prosecutors: Ex-Ill. Gov. Ryan visited ill wife

CHICAGO (AP) — Federal prosecutors say former Ill. Gov. George Ryan spent two hours out of prison to visit his ailing wife this week.

Ryan’s brief visit was made public for the first time today by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Because of the visit, prosecutors say they oppose a motion to let Ryan out on bail.

The federal filing says the Bureau of Prisons granted Ryan an escorted trip Wednesday evening to the Kankakee, Ill., hospital where his wife Lura Lynn Ryan is being treated for cancer.

A motion filed by Ryan’s lawyers had asked that he be let out of prison on bail, saying the former governor’s wife of 55 years is suffering from terminal cancer. Ryan is in federal prison after he was convicted of corruption charges in 2006.