CHICAGO – Imprisoned former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, who has served six years at a federal prison for wide-ranging corruption charges, is scheduled to be released to a Chicago halfway house by the end of January, his attorney said Tuesday.

Ryan is set to leave the federal facility in Terre Haute, Ind., on Jan. 30 as part of a work release program, said one of his attorneys, Albert Alschuler. That's about five months ahead of his official release date, though it's common for inmates to be eligible for work release early.

In a twist illustrating perhaps the worst of Illinois politics, Ryan will overlap at the federal prison for several days with convicted former powerbroker William Cellini. The longtime Springfield businessman, who knows Ryan well, reported to the Indiana prison Tuesday.