The court ruled on Tuesday that he didn’t break the law when he tried to barter President Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat for a cabinet position in the Obama Administration.
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“It would be more than a little surprising to Members of Congress if the judiciary found in the Hobbs Act, or the mail fraud statute, a rule making everyday politics criminal”, Judge Frank Easterbook wrote for the court, referring to a law that deals with extortion.
He was also convicted on other play-to-pay schemes, including an attempted shakedown of a Chicago children’s hospital for a contribution to Blagojevich’s campaign.
In a phone conversation with a top aide that was secretly recorded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Blagojevich famously said, “I mean I’ve got this thing…and it’s f***ing golden”.
Prosecutors wont’ say what their plans are after an appeals court overturned some corruption convictions against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Prosecutors could retry Blagojevich on the five counts vacated by the appeals court, otherwise the case would proceed to resentencing. “And I’m just not giving it up for f– nothing”. Turner, who was not involved in the Blagojevich case, said the court “had to jump through a lot of hoops and do a lot of hair splitting” to distinguish between what they said was illegal behavior and what is typical political behavior.
Rod Blagojevich waves as he departs his Chicago home for Littleton, Colo., to begin his 14-year prison sentence on March 15, 2012. Before the appeal, the estimated release date for the father of two school-aged daughters was 2024; he would be 67.
November 7: Blagojevich re-elected. Agents arrested his brother later that year.
2009: Jan: The Illinois House votes 114-1 to impeach Blagojevich, the first Illinois governor in history to be impeached. “Even a politician who asks another politician for favors only because he sincerely believes that these favors assist his constituents could be condemned as a felon, because grateful constituents make their gratitude known by votes or post-office employment”.
Robert Blagojevich has said his brother’s 14-year sentence was unfair.
2011: June 27: After nine days of deliberating, jurors find Blagojevich guilty of 18 counts, including allegations that he tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat. Blagojevich is now serving time at a federal correctional facility in Colorado.
2013: July: Blagojevich lawyers appeal corruption convictions and prison term.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that appeals court said that sentence was not too high. Court orders counts be retried and that Blagojevich be resentenced.
