Distressed 'Blago' gets 14 years

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
12/8/2011
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Despite apology and a plea for his kids, judge gives him 14 years.

US District Judge James Zagel has sentenced a disgraced Rod Blagojevich to 14 years in federal prison for corruption despite an emotional plea for leniency from the former governor. Because of federal guidelines, Blagojevich must serve at least 85 percent of his time behind bars, meaning he will spend a minimum of almost 12 years in prison.

President Obama and former Gov Blagojevich

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CHICAGO, IL (Catholic Online) - When sentencing Blagojevich, Zagel said, "When it is the governor who goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily or quickly repaired, you did that damage."

A seated Blagojevich sunk his head as he learned how long his sentence would be.

Blagojevich made an emotional plea for leniency before his sentence was announced. He made a point to publicly accept his responsibility while professing ignorance that his actions were illegal. "I never set out to break the law," Blagojevich said before Zagel. "The jury decided I was guilty, I am accepting of it, I acknowledge it. I have nobody to blame but myself for my stupidity and actions and the things I did and I thought I could do. I'm not blaming anybody."

Blagojevich stood convicted of 18 corruption charges including a charge that he attempted to sell Obama's vacated Senate seat. Additionally, several people testified that Blagojevich held up passage of important legislation and delayed filling the state's vacant senate seat as he tried to extract a financial or personal advantage from each opportunity. According to federal prosecutors, he even held up funding for children's hospitals for 30 days to gain personal leverage.

Prosecutors were asking for a sentence of 15-20 years, while Blagojevich's attorneys were attempting to settle for three-and-a-half years.

Blagojevich also expressed great concern for how he would provide for his wife and children. Zagel responded to that by saying, "I see case after case where good fathers are bad citizens. If it is any consolation to his children, he does not stand convicted of being a bad father."

A distressed Blagojevich left the courthouse with his wife and spoke briefly to reporters. "My life is in ruins. I'm in no position to earn a living for my children. I can't be a lawyer. We have to sell our home. "I want to thank Patti. She has stood by me in the worst of times, not just the best of times."

Blagojevich will still be allowed to enjoy Christmas with his family, as he is not required to report to prison until February 16. After that, his holidays for the next 12-14 years will be spent behind bars.

� 2011, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Blagojevich, Illinois, corrpution, sentence

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

Kathleen
1 year ago
How embarrassing to see these mean-spirited and even hateful comments on a "Catholic" website. I was really enjoying what I had encountered up to this. If I want "trash talk", I can go somewhere else. I will offer a prayer for this man and his family to see and learn whatever they need to and experience God's grace in the midst of their social humiliation. I also pray that I may earn a measure of mercy when it is my turn to be exposed in all my human failings :(
Rose
1 year ago
Blago deserves to spend no more time behind bars than Barack Obama and his Chicago cohorts.
Bulbajer
1 year ago
Pfff. Nice picture. But Blago gets what he deserves.
"G.G." an honest American
1 year ago
Blagojevich said "I never set out to break the law", and I say "He never set out to get caught". He
knew what he was doing all the time....His wife and children accepted his lies, cheating the
people he was suppose to serve, his stealing as long as they could live a lifestyle of the rich! I have
always wondered how a wife can stand by such a man in good conscience...I COULD NOT AND
WOULD NOT!!!!Blagojevich got caught and will be serving his time in prison, where he belongs.Now
let's sentence all the other dishonest politicians to prison...All these "thieves" should pay the
consequences and should NOT receive one more "penny" of our taxpayers paychecks so they can keep living in a rich grand style...while the rest of us have to resort living on welfare and food stamps.....He said "My life is in ruins. I can't be a lawyer. We have to sell our home." Well, Mr
Blagojevich, join the rest of us Americans that have lost our jobs, our homes and NO health care....By the way, do you and your family get to keep all the benefits that we all have lost????
Now, your wife may have to try to get a job or maybe one of your dishonest politicians "friends" will make up a job for her.. If she's been living off the people you suppose to have served all
this past time, it's time she got a job, a real job, and learn what it is like to support your own family in honest hard work...These kind of people, dishonest politicians should NEVER, NEVER receive
any kind of financial benefits from the abused American citizens......

I do pray that he \ and his family will have change of heart and learn to become honest and ask forgiveness from the people he has cheated...and really mean it! He should NOT be let out of prison after serving a couple of years for "good behavior" by manipulation.....He must pay for his crimes! He should NOT have any special privileges....He's had enough!
Rob
1 year ago
Glad this guy got put away. Unfortunately why does this site have to be so biased. Why that picture? Last night when the article posted I loved the caption (I got the presidency and you got 14 years). I really want to believe that this site is better than some hack media site, but sometimes I wonder with nonsense like that.
abey
1 year ago
Actually in the Spiritual court the award would have gone to Obama, Hillary & the democrats for ushering in Abortion, Gay agendas & other forms of Immorality, the legacy of Pagan Philosophies, all being abominations to the Holy One. This indicates that the world is still 'Upside down" & will in the appointed time be set right by The Christ.

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