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Blagojevich sentenced to 14 years for corruption charges
[Updated at 1:33 p.m. ET] Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Blagojevich was also sentenced to pay a $20,000 fine.
The judge said he does not have report to prison for 90 days.
"I do accept his apology in his testimony, and I do believe he may regret the fate of others," Judge James Zagel said.
But that wasn't enough for the judge.
"It comes late," he said, of Blagojevich's accepting responsibility for his actions.
In announcing the sentence Judge James Zagel said Blagojevich's abuse of the governor's office "is more damaging than any other office in the U.S." besides the presidency.
Zagel noted that he did not resign as governor despite the indictments, but if he had it might have helped show he accepted responsibility.
The judge told Blagojevich that he had ruined the careers of a few people who worked for him. Zagel also questioned part of Blagojevich's accepting responsibility.
"Why did the thoughts of his children not weigh heavily on his reckless conduct?" Zagel said.
Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation applauded the sentence.
“The sentence handed down today represents a repayment of the debt that Blagojevich owes to the people of Illinois," he said. "While promising an open and honest administration, in reality, the former governor oversaw a comprehensive assault on the public’s trust."
[Posted at 1:03 p.m. ET] Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich apologized to his state, his family and the judge, saying he is "unbelievably sorry," during his sentencing hearing for corruption convictions Wednesday.
"I've had plenty of time to reflect on all that's happened," Blagojevich said. "I'm here convicted of crimes and I am accepting of it, acknowledge it."
Blagojevich, a Democrat, was accused of trying to profit as he considered whom to appoint to succeed Barack Obama when he vacated his Senate seat to move to the White House.
"There is a line between routine politics, horse trading and campaign politics," Blagojevich said. "I thought they were permissible and I was mistaken."
He was convicted of corruption in June after a jury returned 17 guilty verdicts against him.
Federal prosecutors are seeking a sentence of 15 to 20 years, but his lawyers have called that excessive and asked the judge for leniency on Tuesday, even as they admitted for the first time that crimes were committed.
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Party at Blagojevich drum every Friday night for 14 years. Come take Rod for a ride. Bet they will be lined up down the range to get at that hair..............
Thank you for drawing my attention to Bilbo look alike. Made my day.
Who in there right mind would willingly turn their self in to do a 14 year prison sentence? I would be getting the hell out of dodge .
his face is everywhere. he wont get far. probably has a gps device attached to him anyways.
you can just cut off those gps deals. he would have to leave the country and go where we have no extradition treaty.
If he removes his toupet, no one will recognize him.
What a load of BS – the 90 day delay...he shouldn't be able to spend another day out of prison. If it were any of us everyday people we would certainly _not be spending the holidays with our friends and family. This country is a pathetic joke.
I think your name says it all. Enough sad.
Most of the senate has committed insider trading but we don't see them going to jail. It must be that Blagojevich didn't sell his influence to the right people. Walker is selling Minnesota but nobody even cares because the Koch brothers are too rich for our feds to face. Heck the Koch brothers are trading with Iran, why should they care about any laws?
I too want the names of the senators and reprentatives that are doing inside training and that includes Cheney and Rumsfield.
I too want the names of the senators and representatives that are doing inside training and that includes Cheney and Rumsfield.
Would be great to get the great Obama in a cell next to him.
Scott Walker is more deserving of that cell.
To see that, I suppose you would have to be in an adjacent cell.
Good job, Judge. Good job !!
Syonara, dooshbag!
I think the point was made with the sentence but I also believe that, on appeal, he'll get sentenced to time served or a reduced sentence.
Prison? To protect the public or to create a facade that this is unusual?
90 days? Wow. I suppose gotta give him ample time to flee, change his name, etc. and some good plastic surgery because.......damn!
Undermining the political process for the sake of greed should be considered treason. The punishment needs to be harsh and without remorse. Its the best way to protect the public from unscrupulous officials like him. The punishment should be harsher, or at least remove the possibility of parole.
Did he have plastic surgery on his nose?
14 years is a long time, but he needs to be punished. like the old saying goes, if you can't do the time, don't do the crime
Ironic the guy from that show ended up doing time.
Way too harsh of a sentence. So he tried to make some money... I bet most of the anti-blago commenters here would have done the same. Who in this world doesnt want to make money?
So while he serves his sentence regardless of how long he is "required" to serve... Poeple like Sandusky will be allowed to go free because the Judge might be a fan of Penn State? Rapist, Child Preditors, Murderers will be free to move around and Blago will be away from his kids and family because he wanted some money.
People need to lighten up on this guy. There are other politicians STILL ACTIVE IN OFFICE who have and continue to commit crimes alot more serious than this...
Why should we lighten up on Blago? He broke the law, denied and denied despite being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He only professed "sorrow" because he thought it would get him a shorter sentence. He's a liar and a thief who thought he was above the law. He needs to do hard time, not country club prison with all the easy times. Put him away for a long time in a bad place and let the inmates have their way with him.
Big deal so the guy tried to make some money off of other politicians. I don't see anything in the charges about that money coming from the state. The money that he would have made off the seat would have been from the bank account of the person it was sold to.
14 years for a lie and attempt to commit a crime is way too much.
Its not fair to his family that people who commit more serious crimes do less time and go free..
The justice system is more corrupt than Blago...
Selling a seat was the tip of the iceberg, he also was scamming money and sending out contract bids to his brother for construction. PLEASE!!!!!