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groundloop

(11,519 posts)
Mon Apr 16, 2018, 10:45 AM Apr 2018

Supreme Court rejects ex-Illinois governor's latest appeal

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s latest bid to shorten his 14-year prison sentence for corruption offenses including soliciting bribes for appointment to the Senate seat that Barack Obama vacated after being elected president in 2008.

The justices left in place a lower court ruling that rejected Blagojevich’s arguments that he deserved leniency because he has been a “model prisoner” in the years he has already spent in federal prison and because some counts in his original 2011 conviction had been thrown out.

Blagojevich, 61, was convicted on charges including wire fraud, extortion and soliciting bribes while governor. He served from January 2003 to January 2009, when the Illinois Senate removed him from office. Blagojevich began serving his sentence in 2012.

Prosecutors said Blagojevich, a Democrat and former contestant on President Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” reality TV show, solicited campaign contributions in exchange for raising pediatric healthcare reimbursement rates and legislation supporting his state’s horse racing industry. Blagojevich also tried to sell or trade the Senate seat that Obama vacated after winning the 2008 U.S. presidential election, prosecutors said.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-blagojevich/supreme-court-rejects-ex-illinois-governors-latest-appeal-idUSKBN1HN1VU



Rot in prison you bastard.

ANY elected official who uses his office for personal gain should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and and should serve their full sentence. (Are you seeing this Spanky?)
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Supreme Court rejects ex-Illinois governor's latest appeal (Original Post) groundloop Apr 2018 OP
Hmm, no ''Dancing with the Stars"? I thought for sure ... never mind. YOHABLO Apr 2018 #1
No fan of Blagos but... Joe Nation Apr 2018 #2
+1 sandensea Apr 2018 #3
Not totally True. Blago shared the same jail as Illinois other Gov, Ryan who's a Republican. apnu Apr 2018 #5
They should shorten his sentence if true about "model prisoner". rockfordfile Apr 2018 #4
No fan of Blago..... machoneman Apr 2018 #6
If he was a republican, Trump would probably pardon him. Marie Marie Apr 2018 #7

Joe Nation

(963 posts)
2. No fan of Blagos but...
Mon Apr 16, 2018, 11:02 AM
Apr 2018

They simply made an example out of this guy. He did nothing different than every politician in the country still doing. He was just stupid enough to get caught red-handed.

sandensea

(21,636 posts)
3. +1
Mon Apr 16, 2018, 12:27 PM
Apr 2018

Had he been a Rethug, he'd be collecting a million a year in some part-time K Street lobbying gig.

apnu

(8,758 posts)
5. Not totally True. Blago shared the same jail as Illinois other Gov, Ryan who's a Republican.
Mon Apr 16, 2018, 01:09 PM
Apr 2018

Illinois has the dubious honor of having back-to-back governors in jail at the same time.

rockfordfile

(8,704 posts)
4. They should shorten his sentence if true about "model prisoner".
Mon Apr 16, 2018, 12:54 PM
Apr 2018

But of course we have un-American republicans like Trump and Rove not locked up.

machoneman

(4,007 posts)
6. No fan of Blago.....
Mon Apr 16, 2018, 01:20 PM
Apr 2018

but perhaps if they did shorten his sentence, he could for say an equal number of years spend perhaps 10 hours every week representing prisoners with appeals or some other worthwhile public service work. Say 500 hours annually for 10 years.

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