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.
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Blagojevich, 59, who was convicted in 2011 of charges including attempting to sell the Senate seat left vacant by President Barack Obama’s election, made an emotional plea for mercy to U.S. District Judge James Zagel via closed circuit television from the Colorado prison where he’s incarcerated.
An appeals court a year ago threw out five of his 18 convictions but upheld others relating to soliciting campaign contributions in exchange for naming someone to the empty seat.
Blagojevich’s lawyers had hoped the vacated convictions would provide the pretext for a reduced sentence.
She says she finds the judge’s decision to uphold her husband’s 14-year sentence “unusually cruel and heartless and unfair”. “I apologize to the court and to the government”.
That’s just my way of reminding you that this will never be over until Blagojevich is set free, even if that’s in 2024 as scheduled, and probably not even then.
Tuesday marked the first time in almost five years that Blagojevich has been seen by people other than fellow inmates and family.
Federal prosecutors said the dismissal of the five counts doesn’t reduce the seriousness of Blagojevich’s offenses and argued the sentence shouldn’t be reduced.
“Once again unfortunately, I have to express our profound disappointment in the ruling by Judge Zagel”, Pattie Blagojevich said, standing with daughters Amie and Annie. “I don’t dispute [that the governor] may be a model prisoner”, Zagel said.
Zagel said he went through more than 100 letters from fellow prisoners.
Zagel agreed the original sentence remained appropriate for the crimes committed by Blagojevich, who succeeded Gov. George Ryan, who was convicted of corruption charges several months after leaving office in 2003. “What I suggest is the case you have before you is significantly different from the case in 2011”, he said.
Blagojevich, who is being held in a prison near Denver, appeared at the hearing via video.
Attorney Leonard Goodman was the first to speak as Blagojevich looked on via videoconference.
A federal appeals court ordered the resentencing a year ago after dismissing some of the counts on which Blagojevich was convicted. They said he was humble and self-effacing, a voracious reader, an insightful life coach and popular lecturer on everything from the Civil War to Richard Nixon. The group had a 21-song play list, and Blagojevich was the lead singer. It upheld his convictions on allegations that he tried to swap the Senate appointment for campaign cash, finding that trading one job appointment for another does not break the law.
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The daughters of Blagojevich detailed the struggles they have since endured due to the incarceration of their father and have vowed to continue to support him.
