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John Gress / Reuters
Disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich leaves his Chicago home for the second day of his sentencing hearing on Wednesday.
CHICAGO - Update, 1:30 p.m. ET: Judge sentences ousted Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich to 14 years in prison for corruption.
Update, 1:25 p.m. ET: Judge Zagel says he is considering issuing a 12.5 to 15.5-year jail sentence, NBC reports.
Update, 1:20 p.m. ET: Judge Zagel says "Blagojevich's staff did not march him down this criminal path. He marched them." He also says Blago's acceptance of responsibility will mean he will reduce his sentence, NBC News in Chicago reports. Sentence has not yet been handed down.
Update, 1 p.m. ET: The court has been called back into session, NBC reports. Judge James Zagel has asked the defendant to rise so he can announce the sentence.
Update, 12:45 p.m. ET: Before the court took 20-minute recess, Blagojevich told the judge, "I have nobody to blame but myself," reports NBC News. "I'm not blaming anybody. I realize I was mistaken. I realize the things that I thought were permissible were not."
Blagojevich also expressed remorse over the damage he's caused to his children.
My "kids have to face the fact that their father is a convicted felon," he said. "And it's not like their name is Smith. They can't hide."
Update, 12:20 p.m. ET: Rod Blagojevich has told the judge at his sentencing hearing that he acknowledges his crimes and is "unbelievably sorry." He says the mistakes he's made have been "terrible mistakes."
The impeached Illinois governor spoke Wednesday as he waits to learn his punishment on charges that include trying to sell an appointment to President Barack Obama's old Senate seat.
Blagojevich's attorneys admitted for the first time Tuesday that he is guilty of corruption and accepts the verdicts against him, but said the sentence of 15 to 20 years prosecutors want is too harsh.
Original story (published at 12:02 p.m. ET):
CHICAGO - After all his claims of innocence and facing years in prison, Rod Blagojevich let his lawyers make an admission that he has so far avoided — that he is, in fact, guilty of public corruption.
The former Illinois governor will get a chance to do the same Wednesday, when he is scheduled to address the judge who will decide his sentence.
Judge James Zagel signaled Tuesday he may be prepared to impose a stiff prison sentence, saying he thinks Blagojevich lied when he told jurors he never tried to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat for campaign cash or a top job.
Throughout the first day of his two-day sentencing hearing, the impeached executive-turned-reality TV star known for his jocular personality was somber and ill-at-ease, staring down at the floor. His wife sobbed as a letter from their daughter was read begging Zagel not to send Blagojevich to prison.
The hearing was a stark contrast to the circus atmosphere around Blagojevich's trials on multiple counts of corruption.
The conciliatory tone came as something of a surprise — just days after defense filings that, as many times before, stridently declared Blagojevich's innocence and said he had been duped by aides but never intended to cross any lines into illegality.
Attorney Sheldon Sorosky told Zagel it was illegal for Blagojevich to ask for a job for himself in exchange for naming Obama's replacement in the Senate.
"There's no doubt this is a crime to do this in relation to the Senate seat, we accept that," he said. "I am just saying that does not call for a 15- to 20-year jail" term as prosecutors have requested.
Sorosky made the same argument when he talked about the other crimes for which Blagojevich was convicted: shaking down a racetrack executive and a hospital executive, as well as lying to the FBI.
At Tuesday's hearing, Blagojevich ringed his hands and pulled nervously at his fingers, pausing occasionally to sip on a plastic bottle of Cherry Coke. Legal experts believe Blagojevich needs to express remorse for his actions when addressing the judge Wednesday.
Zagel, who has said he'll pronounce a sentence Wednesday, said early on during Tuesday's hearing that Blagojevich was clearly the ringleader of the schemes for which he was convicted and that he lied about his actions on the witness stand. The judge made it clear he did not believe a suggestion made by defense attorneys that Blagojevich was duped by aides and advisers.
"There is no question from his tone of voice that he was demanding," Zagel said of Blagojevich's comments on phone conversations secretly recorded by the FBI. "His role as leader is clearly shown by his actions."
And in a harsh assessment of Blagojevich's performance on the witness stand, Zagel said the former governor was lying when he testified that he planned to appoint the state's attorney general to Obama's seat in a political deal that is legal.
"I think this is untrue," Zagel said. "I thought it was untrue when he said it and I think it is still untrue."
Defense to judge: Think of his family
Defense attorney Aaron Goldstein pleaded with the judge not to impose a lengthy prison sentence — not for Blagojevich's sake, but for that of his family. In an emotional few minutes before proceedings ended for the day, Goldstein said locking Blagojevich up for a long time would devastate his wife and two daughters.
When Goldstein began reading a letter to the judge from Blagojevich's older daughter, 15-year-old Amy, the former governor suddenly seemed to fight to maintain his composure, fidgeting with a pen, biting on his lip. An attorney turned to gently pat his shoulder.
Amy wrote that she needs her father for all the things that will happen in her life — graduation from high school, applying to college and when her heart gets broken. In another letter, Blagojevich's wife, Patti, asked Zagel to "please be merciful" and said the punishment her husband fears the most is not seeing his daughters grow up.
Zagel seemed engaged in what Goldstein was saying as he described Blagojevich as a father. Patti Blagojevich began sobbing, tears streaming down her cheeks, then dabbing her reddened face with a tissue. She closed her eyes tight, tears still rolling down her face, when Goldstein played a tape recording of a giddy Blagojevich calling his younger daughter, who is now 8, and putting on a high baby-like voice, saying "Hey Annie!"
A second defense attorney told the judge that Illinois history of political corruption shouldn't count against Blagojevich. Carolyn Gurland said it would be unfair to Blagojevich for Zagel to impose a tougher sentence because other Illinois politicians, including former Gov. George Ryan and U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski, have been sent to prison for corruption.
"The law is clear that he should not be punished because of the history of corruption in Illinois," she said.
If Blagojevich gets the 15 to 20 years in prison, she said, he would become the most severely punished public official in state history.
Prosecutors say the twice-elected governor not only shirked all responsibility for his crimes but repeatedly thumbed his nose at the U.S. justice system. Blagojevich's attorneys have said he has already paid a price in public ridicule and financial ruin, and propose a term of just a few years.
Gurland also argued that Zagel should take into account the fact that Blagojevich did not "receive a single penny" in ill-gotten gains, unlike other politicians convicted of public corruption.
"Rod Blagojevich received nothing," she said, adding that Blagojevich was doing what politicians do by seeking campaign contributions and not "money stuffed into envelopes."
Blagojevich and his wife knew they were setting themselves up for ridicule by appearing on reality television shows, she said, but they did so to provide for their children. Blagojevich appeared on "Celebrity Apprentice," where he struggled to use a cellphone, and his wife ate a tarantula on the reality show, "I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!"
Blagojevich's sentencing comes just days before his 55th birthday and three years to the week of his Dec. 9, 2008, arrest. The jury deadlocked in his first trial, agreeing on just one of 24 counts — that Blagojevich lied to the FBI. Jurors at his retrial convicted him on 17 of 20 counts, including bribery.
Among the court attendees Tuesday were more than a dozen jurors from both of Blagojevich's trials, including both foremen.
After sentencing, Zagel will likely give Blagojevich weeks before he must report to prison. Once there, the man heard scoffing on FBI wiretaps about earning a low six-figure salary would have to take a prison job — possibly scrubbing toilets — at just 12 cents an hour.
Leave a Comment:
GOOD Dimocrat......
F*CK YOU BLAGO! Have a nice life making little rocks out of big rocks in the Illinois State pen! "Have mercy"...my ass.
Typical "Chicago-style politics" in use here. Do what you want, deny it, get caught, deny it, write a book, deny it, do reality tv, deny it,etc. The circle is round, and this merry-go-round really needs to stop. I agree, if you do the crime, do the time! "nuff said, let's move on tto something else!
obviously rod wasn't thinking of his family when he tried to sell obama's seat, if so maybe he wouldn't have tried....me thinks he did think of his family though and thought what the heck what can the law do to me....nothing, i'm invincible....sorry wifey and kids daddy has to go out of town for a few years to pay for not caring about you .....
Finally - sentencing! Hope it has real teeth to it. And while we're talking about his mistakes, maybe now he will have time to fix them - like his hair and his ego.
A Typical Chicago Politician... They are all a bunch of crooks that put the "Wind" in the "Windy City." He has stooped to a disgusting new low having his kid beg the judge to keep her Dad out of prison. He should go to prison just for doing that.
They should throw the book at him. It is the only way to bring order back to the Ill.!
Want to bet he hardly does time at all. They will make sure he has a nice soft judge.
What a worthless piece of crap he is. Patti should be counting her blessings that she's not being prosecuted too. She is as morally corrupt as he is...
He will probably get a slap on the wrist and end up at the Sheridan Pen., it is like a health club. He can play cards with Bernie Madoff all day.
His thoughts were always about his wife and kids - he wanted to make as much money as he could - and given his skill set amounted to "having great hair and suits" (his thinking, not mine), being a politician and a bad one at that was just about the only thing you could expect from him.
I'm guessing that if he came from a family of means, he would have leaned towards being a republican, because I saw in him what I saw in George Bush. Both men came off as being "regular" guys - to the point of not even being the brightest bulb in the socket and people for a time considered that a good thing. The difference with George Bush was that his families money and connection to monied people gave him the ability to get away with doing what he did. Blago didn't have that benefit and instead appealed to an urban poor population - that at some point couldn't even come to believe he was doing what he was doing - and not doing what he was supposed to be doing.
Rod is a Democrat not a Republican! You are right about about him not being the brightest bulb in the socket... Most Democrats are uninformed idiots that blather about things they don't know!
Cheesy,
Did you mean "blathering" like Sarah and Michelle seem so fond of doing when trying to speak?
Self promoting a$$hole!
"That's nice, now go get your wig trimmed".
We have peophiles in Illinois being given sentences that are a joke like 6months to two years. There is no way you can convince me that Rod Blagojevich did anything that heinous so I will be kind of perturbed if he gets a higher sentence than someone who messes with little kids, like the woman from Granite City, IL who rented her child out to Pedophiles, she only got 10 yrs with the possibility of parole after like 6 yrs, or the guy from west Chicago who molested a boy and got 6 months jail time and 3 years probation.
This arrogant politician sure was not thinking of his family or any one else when he was lying and trying to seel the seat.- He pleads guilty and crys apologies after sentencing. maybe he should not have lied and come clean before hand. Typically thuggary politics from the city that brought you BO.He can probably plea bargin a deal if he turned evidence against his other crime buddies- BO may be in deep if he does.
They have proven numerous times he had nothing to do with Obama the Republicans have held on to that theory and nothing has ever come from it and they have been proven wrong over and over.
kelldon,
Are you also a birther or truther?
I do feel bad for his family, but the bottom line is that he is corrupt to the core. He continued to insist on his innocence (lie) until there was no hope. His latest statements of admission are a strategic ploy to reduce his sentence. If he thought there was a shred of hope thet he could get off we would never be hearing an admission of guilt. I have even less respect for him than I did before.
Before the grand jury...."I'm innocent". After the indictment...."I'm innocent". During the trial...."I'm innocent". After the guilty verdict..."I'm innocent". Today at the sentencing...."I'm guilty but be gentle".............Priceless.
With his political connections, he will probably be sentenced to the following:
1: A slap on the wrist with a wet noodle.
2. Sent to bed without his dinner.
3. No television or internet for a week.
But seriously elected officials who commit crimes while in office should face the maximum sentence. People wonder why the rest of the world doesn't take the United States seriously at times. With elected officials like this how can they? I really don't feel to sorry for his family unless of course they are going to jail with him. Believe it or not in some developing countries the family does goes to jail with the convicted criminal.
If Obama pardons Blayo within a year, then Obama will look guilty. If Blayo is not pardoned, then I hope he "sings like a bird". After all, Blayo would not have tried to sell Obama's senate seat if the action didn't somehow return him a favor (government post or ?). Remember, Blayo didn't need the money, he just wanted more power (ie., a government post). Also, if Blayo decides to "sing like a bird", he will likely be put out of his misery (permanently) while behind bars - by someone who has the backing of the highest position in the Country. History has taught us that this wouldn't be the first time (doesn John Kennedy ring any bells?).
To Dems and Reps, both parties have been corupt for years. That doesn't excuse the behavior of those involved in the Blayo triangle.
Please pardon my spelling error: "corupt" should have been spelled "corrupt". Where's spellcheck when you need it?
lets get 1 thing straight, he did not make mistakes, he was a greedy politician that got caught. as for his family members begging the judge, his wife is a first class sleaze as well, she was an accomplish. she is lucky she is not being locked up. i do feel for the kids, maybe he should have before he performed corrupt acts. i hope he gets the max sentance. he deserves it for what he attempted to do to the american people.
last thought: he has shown zero remorse. he still has not apoligized for his criminal acts, only for mistakes. what a fool
Just another Illinois politician, in a very long list, who grew up surrounded by corruption so pervasive, that moral wrongs were not even noticed and criminal acts were seen as "business as usual".
In a culture were such actions are commonplace, I think, at first, he was genuinely surprised that he was being prosecuted for such trivial transgressions.
The reason people are sent to prison is to be punished. Sure, its hard being away from your family. But that is part of the reason people do not want to go to prison. Its Punishment. So, the family tearjerking stories are all invalid arguments, no matter how touching it all is. 15-20 years may be harsh, but he should do at least 5 in my opinion.
Ummm hey Rod, you did the crimes, Period! and Furthermore you lied to the Law and to the citizens of this country and your state. With all due respect to your kids, sorry but he needs to be in jail, he will still be a part of your life so get over it! If this was anyone else who was not in politics, the person would have been in jail from the day of arrest until sentencing. He has been at home with the freedom he did not nor does not deserve to go on television shows, what a joke... And For your attorney, yes he does deserve a 15-20 yr sentence, this will set a precident for any other politician who looks to do the same and gets caught. Personally i believe he should also be fined and ordered to pay restitution to the state, in the amount of ALL the "salary" he was paid during his time in office.
But, i have to admit lmao lol I love this part hahahahahahaa "Defense attorney Aaron Goldstein pleaded with the judge not to impose a lengthy prison sentence — not for Blagojevich's sake, but for that of his family. In an emotional few minutes before proceedings ended for the day, Goldstein said locking Blagojevich up for a long time would devastate his wife and two daughters." lmfao hahahahahahahahah dam, i fell outta my chair... well he certainly did not give a dam about them when he committed the crimes did he? Wake up Mr. Attorney.. Do you believe that if i committed a crime such as this that i should get a reduced sentence because my daughter wrote a letter to the judge?
The real Chicago thug roams the halls of the Whitehouse
Do you mean the one that gives weapons to drug cartells,that in turn are used for murder, is that the one?
Does that make him an acompliss? thug is being polite
cherry coke what a fairy