Who the hell is Tony Rezko?

I came across this story linked through TPM:  link.

It suggests that someone named Tony Rezko helped Barack Obama purchase a house in Chicago that he otherwise could not afford.  

The Sun Times reported in 2006:

Rezko was indicted in October for allegedly trying to collect nearly $6 million in kickbacks from government deals and trying to shake down a Hollywood producer for $1.5 million in campaign contributions to Gov. Blagojevich.

Obama and Rezko have been friends since 1990, and the Wilmette businessman has raised as much as $60,000 in campaign contributions for him.

After Rezko’s indictment, Obama donated $11,500 to charity  — the amount Rezko contributed to the senator’s federal campaign fund.

Link.

My questions for the more informed folks here is:  

What the hell is up with this?  What is the story here ... ?

If this is old news, I apologize.  If it is new news, I'd appreciate some more info on this.

Here's the Rezko indictment. Link.