But the high court refused to hear the longshot appeal.
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“I experience very real sadness when I think of my family and I blame myself for that.Trying to make amends for that”, he said.
As the judge announced his decision, Blagojevich could be seen on screen bowing his head.
Disgraced former IL governor Rod Blagojevich, with his white hair, wearing a prison jumpsuit, told a federal judge here in Chicago via a video feed, that he recognizes his words and actions led him to his Colorado prison and he apologized, saying he’s trying to be a better man. He became known through tabloids by the mononym “Blago”, and the Chicago Tribune reported that inmates inside of the prison refer to him simply as “Gov”. Tuesday was his first public appearance, but spoke by video teleconference. They said he has repeatedly expressed regret for his mistakes but never acknowledged criminal conduct or admitted to doing something illegal.
After Zagel’s decision, his wife, Patti Blagojevich, told reporters the judge’s ruling was “unusually cruel, heartless and unfair”. She said, unless Blagojevich can accept responsibility for breaking the law, “there can be no rehabilitation”.
Months later he would formally plead not guilty to the 16 felony counts brought against him by a grand jury.
The sentence: 14 years.
The former governor, in the fourth year of a 14-year prison term, later sobbed as his daughters addressed the court.
She also wrote that Blagojevich “remains convicted of the same three charged shakedowns of which he stood convicted at the original sentencing”.
Blagojevich’s younger daughter, 13-year-old Annie, told the judge that she nearly doesn’t want to grow up because she wants to wait for her father to come home from prison. They argued that maintaining the sentence would send a message to would-be corrupt politicians in a state where four of the last 10 governors have ended up in prison. “What I suggest is the case you have before you is significantly different from the case in 2011”, he said.
Amy Blagojevich, also spoke in court, saying it was hard to stay connected with her dad or even to have private conversations with him during visits to prison. She said “my dad used to be my best friend” and “he’s never give up on us and we will never give up on him”. Blagojevich has served four years.
The remarks came after Blagojevich’s wife made an emotional plea to the judge Monday night by letter.
Leonard Goodman, Blagojevich’s attorney, opened up the possibility of taking the case to the Supreme Court.
Blagojevich’s attorneys have asked the judge for a five-year sentence. The resentencing hearing was scheduled after an appeals court struck down five of his 18 convictions. Prosecutors say his original prison sentence should remain in place. The first time around, Blagojevich got 14 years.
“Please give Annie the chance for a normal happy childhood, that has slipped away from Amy”, Patti Blagojevich wrote in the letter.
The resentencing was ordered by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals last summer.
Prosecutors want Zagel to impose the same term, saying Blagojevich doesn’t deserve leniency. The defense wants it slashed to five years. They even pointed to how Blagojevich, an Elvis Presley fan, formed a prison band called “The Jailhouse Rockers”.
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It dissolved after the lead guitarist was released. Former Gov. George Ryan is serving time in federal prison. The former governor has been locked up in a Colorado prison since 2012, and his journey back to Chicago through the federal prison system may have taken as long as two weeks.
