{"id":8159,"date":"2011-12-07T21:59:15","date_gmt":"2011-12-07T21:59:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/12\/blagojevich-sentenced-to-14-years\/"},"modified":"2011-12-07T21:59:15","modified_gmt":"2011-12-07T21:59:15","slug":"blagojevich-sentenced-to-14-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/12\/07\/blagojevich-sentenced-to-14-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Blagojevich sentenced to 14 years"},"content":{"rendered":"

7 December 2011<\/span> Last updated at<\/span> 21:59 GMT<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"FormerFormer Illinois Governor Blagojevich was arrested in 2008 while still in office<\/span><\/div>\n

Disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption.<\/p>\n

He was found guilty in June of 17 counts of graft, including trying to sell the US Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.<\/p>\n

At the sentencing in Chicago, he said he was “unbelievably sorry” and had made “terrible mistakes”.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors had requested a maximum sentence of 20 years, saying the 54-year-old knew he was breaking the law.<\/p>\n

The former two-term Democratic governor has been ordered pay a $20,000 (\u00a313,000) fine as part of his sentence, and will report to prison on 16 February 2012.<\/p>\n

Correspondents say it is likely that Blagojevich will serve his sentence in a prison outside Illinois. He will be required to undertake eight hours a day of menial labour for 12 cents an hour and share a cell with other inmates. Family visits will be limited.<\/p>\n

Blagojevich was arrested in December 2008 while still in office. His Republican predecessor as governor was also jailed for corruption.<\/p>\n

He has been handed the harshest sentence of any of the four former governors of Illinois who have been sent to prison during the last four decades, the Associated Press reports.<\/p>\n

‘Life ruined’<\/span><\/p>\n

In court, Blagojevich sat hunched forward with a blank expression as the sentence was read on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, he brushed away tears from his wife’s cheeks as he held her in the courtroom.<\/p>\n

Pleading for leniency before sentencing, Blagojevich told Judge James Zagel he thought what he had been doing was “permissible”.<\/p>\n

Acknowledging his mistake, Blagojevich said he “never set out to break the law”.<\/p>\n

“My life is ruined, at least now,” he said. “My political career is over. I can’t be a lawyer anymore. We can’t afford the home we live in; we’re trying to sell it.<\/p>\n

\"AntoinAntoin Rezko (centre), convicted on corruption charges, fundraised extensively for Rod Blagojevich<\/span><\/div>\n

“I realise that the things I thought were permissible, the jury has made abundantly clear were not.”<\/p>\n

He added: “Because of all that, I have jeopardised my ability to protect my children.”<\/p>\n

The admission of guilt came after years of insisting he was innocent.<\/p>\n

Judge Zagel said that Blagojevich’s appeal to the court did not mitigate his crimes.<\/p>\n

“Whatever good things you did for people as governor, and you did some, I am more concerned with the occasions when you wanted to use your powers when you wanted to do things that were only good for yourself,” he said.<\/p>\n

“When it is the governor who goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily repaired.”<\/p>\n

Bribes and extortion<\/span><\/p>\n

Blagojevich was not immediately taken into custody and it is expected that he will appeal against the conviction.<\/p>\n

He was also convicted of trying to extort campaign donations from business executives, and of soliciting bribes from racing officials.<\/p>\n

One of his top fundraisers, Antoin Rezko, was sentenced last month to 10 and a half years in prison.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors said: “Blagojevich engaged in extensive criminal conduct with and without Rezko, provided no co-operation, perjured himself for seven days on the witness stand, and has accepted no responsibility for his criminal conduct.”<\/p>\n

The defence argued that the former governor had already paid a high price for his actions through ridicule and financial ruin.<\/p>\n

He was elected governor of Illinois in 2002 and served until 2009, when the state legislature threw him out of office following his arrest.<\/p>\n

As governor, he was tasked under law with appointing someone to fill the Senate seat left vacant when Mr Obama won election to the White House.<\/p>\n

In FBI wire taps, Blagojevich was heard describing the Senate appointment as a “golden” opportunity.<\/p>\n

After the jury was unable to reach a verdict in the first trial, Blagojevich was found guilty second time round.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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