blagojevich
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Ali Ata, figure in Blagojevich corruption case, gets probation
One of the last figures to be sentenced in the case that sent former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to prison won’t have to serve a day in prison. A federal judge in Chicago sentenced Ali Ata to four years of probation on Tuesday.
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Prosecutors: Cellini should get 6 1/2 to 8 years in prison
William Cellini deserves to go to prison for up to eight years, federal prosecutors say, for his role in the scandal that brought down now-imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But they say they’d understand if U.S. District Judge James Zagel gives the Springfield businessman and longtime behind-the-scenes power broker in Illinois government less than eight years due to his age and health problems.
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U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald: I won’t ever run for elective office
U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says he’s not sure what he’ll do next, now that he’s announced he’s stepping down, but says running for elective office isn’t in his future.
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Short list of candidates to be next U.S. attorney now down to four, sources say
A committee that is helping screen potential choices for the next U.S. Attorney has whittled the list of contenders from eight to four, sources told the Chicago Sun-Times. The selection committee will forward a final list of names to U.S. senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill).
Lawyers for ex-Gov. George Ryan appear before appeals court
Former Gov. George Ryan could be freed from prison “within weeks” if a federal appeals court tosses out several of his fraud convictions, defense attorneys said Friday.
Ex-Blagojevich aide gets 10 days in prison
John Harris — the one-time top aide to Rod Blagojevich who later testified at the former governor’s corruption trial — was sentenced Wednesday to 10 days in prison. U.S. District Court Judge James Zagel said his offense was “so serious and so crucial,” it warranted prison time.
Convicted power broker Cellini went to hospital again
Convicted Springfield power broker William Celliniwent back to the hospital last week — this time for a blood clot, a family spokesman said on Tuesday. Cellini, 77, was due to be sentenced earlier this month for his role in a shakedown scheme involving a key …
Indicted fund-raiser helped pols in both parties
Raghuveer Nayak has poured money into the campaigns of political candidates on both sides of the aisle — from Barack Obama to U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez to the McCain-Palin presidential ticket to U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. According to the Better Government Association, Nayak and the …
House Ethics investigators questioned witnesses here in Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. probe.
This past spring, investigators with the U.S. House Committee on Ethics visited Chicago to talk to witnesses as part of the ongoing investigation into U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., sources told the Chicago Sun-Times. The man federal agents arrested on Wednesday on unrelated kickback charges, …
Root of Blagojevich’s hair: Barber says dye job will go gray in prison
Rod Blagojevich’s barber says the former Illinois governor’s famously thick, dark hair is dyed and will turn gray within the first months of his prison term.
Durbin: I’ll work with Kirk to pick Patrick Fitzgerald’s successor
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Friday that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has offered up the name of an acting successor to replace him at the end of June and that “carries a lot of weight.” As for a permanent successor, Durbin said he has approached U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and they intend to convene a “small group of people we trust” to come up with nominees.
Judge: I won’t send former Blagojevich aide to prison
A federal judge in Chicago said Wednesday he has no intention of sending John Glennon, a lesser-known figure caught up in the corruption scandal involving former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, to prison.
Feds probed IDOT spending on youth jobs program, audit reveals
SPRINGFIELD — The state’s transportation department was being investigated by the feds for spending over $7 million on a youth employment initiative created by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a state audit released Monday said. Calling the program “ill-conceived and mismanaged,” the report from the Office …
Supreme Court ruling offers hope to imprisoned ex-Gov. Ryan
Imprisoned former Gov. George Ryan could get another chance to challenge his fraud conviction, after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Monday upheld a portion of his latest appeal of his federal corruption conviction.
Blagojevich tanned and muscled in prison — and his hair is lighter
Sporting a tan, lighter (but not gray) hair and five pounds more muscle, Rod Blagojevich hasn’t found prison too cruel, his onetime lawyer says. Of course, Blagojevich just began his 14-year sentence about a month ago, and he’s spent it working in the kitchen washing pots and pans and doing some chores outdoors.
Blago’s brother heads to D.C. to talk about Senate seat controversy
As Rod Blagojevich serves a 14-year sentence for trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat, the former governor’s brother is headed to Washington to talk about who he says offered to buy it. The U.S. House Committee on Ethics, which is investigating U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), is expected to interview Robert Blagojevich later this month, sources tell the Chicago Sun-Times.
Patti Blagojevich on husband’s prison sentence: ‘What planet’ are we on?
Fourteen years in prison for Rod Blagojevich. Ten days in prison for his former chief of staff. Same corruption case. Same judge. “How do you explain that to your children?” Patti Blagojevich asked on her Facebook page. In a recent Facebook posting, Illinois’ former first …
Blagojevich on leaving for prison: ‘I can’t even think about it now ’
Rod Blagojevich has left his Chicago home and is heading to Colorado to begin a 14-year federal prison term for corruption. Wednesday night Blagojevich held on to wife Patti through his 12-minute statement, squeezing her shoulder as he bid adieu to Illinois and talked about “a dark and hard journey” that would take him thousands of miles from his family.
Quinn: Not ‘a happy day for Rod Blagojevich’
Gov. Pat Quinn expressed empathy for former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s family Wednesday but said the governor’s imminent trip to federal prison underscores that holding public office in Illinois should not be about “self-service.” “If you’re in public office, that’s public service, not self-service. And I …
Looking for a pen pal?
Want to send Rod Blagojevich a letter in prison? Here’s the address: Rod Blagojevich Register 40892-424 FCI Englewood Federal Correctional Institution 9595 West Quincy Avenue Littleton, CO 80123 …
