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Ex-Illinois Governor Blagojevich's 14-year prison term upheld
Source: Reuters
POLITICS | Fri Apr 21, 2017 | 12:21pm EDT
Ex-Illinois Governor Blagojevich's 14-year prison term upheld
By Jonathan Stempel
Rod Blagojevich, a former Illinois governor, on Friday lost his bid for leniency as a federal appeals court refused to shorten his 14-year prison term in a vast public corruption case, including an effort to sell Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago rejected arguments by Blagojevich, who has already served more than five years in prison, that a lesser punishment was justified because he had been a "model prisoner," and because some counts in his original conviction had been thrown out.
Leonard Goodman, a lawyer for Blagojevich, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The office of acting U.S. Attorney Joel Levin in Chicago declined to comment.
Blagojevich, 60, was convicted in 2011 on charges including wire fraud, extortion and soliciting bribes while governor, a job he held from January 2003 to January 2009, when Illinois' Senate impeached him and removed him from office.
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Ex-Illinois Governor Blagojevich's 14-year prison term upheld
By Jonathan Stempel
Rod Blagojevich, a former Illinois governor, on Friday lost his bid for leniency as a federal appeals court refused to shorten his 14-year prison term in a vast public corruption case, including an effort to sell Barack Obama's U.S. Senate seat.
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago rejected arguments by Blagojevich, who has already served more than five years in prison, that a lesser punishment was justified because he had been a "model prisoner," and because some counts in his original conviction had been thrown out.
Leonard Goodman, a lawyer for Blagojevich, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The office of acting U.S. Attorney Joel Levin in Chicago declined to comment.
Blagojevich, 60, was convicted in 2011 on charges including wire fraud, extortion and soliciting bribes while governor, a job he held from January 2003 to January 2009, when Illinois' Senate impeached him and removed him from office.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-illinois-blagojevich-idUSKBN17N1TU
