Blagojevich Gets 14 Years in Prison

Rod Blagojevich became Illinois’ fourth governor in recent history to be sentenced to prison when he received a term of 14 years Wednesday after being found guilty of 18 instances of felony corruption, including an attempt to profit off the sale of his congressional seat.

The remaining charges included wire fraud, attempted extortion, the solicitation of bribes, conspiring to bribe and extort and lying to federal agents. —ARK

The New York Times:

Mr. Blagojevich’s crimes carried maximum sentences that could have stretched into hundreds of years behind bars, but federal prosecutors had argued that he deserved at least 15 to 20 years in prison. Mr. Blagojevich’s lawyers were seeking far less, saying simply that they were advocating for “the lowest sentence possible.”

Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat who won two terms as governor before being impeached and removed from office, will become Illinois’s fourth governor in recent memory to go to prison. One of the former governors was convicted of crimes unrelated to his time in office, but the statistic is mortifying to residents here, even in a state long known for political shenanigans.

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AP / Charles Rex Arbogast

Rod Blagojevich returns to his home in Chicago on Wednesday after being sentenced.