The Chicago retrial of Rod Blagojevich did not go so well for the former Illinois governor.A jury today convicted Blagojevich of trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat and other corruption charges.
Blagojevich was convicted on 17 of 20 counts. The jury found him not guilty on one count and deadlocked on two other counts.
The jury panel deliberated for nine days, a long stretch that had some pundits predicting that the jury might be deadlocked on many of the charges, as they were during the first trial.
The verdict is certain to raise questions about the wisdom of Blagojevich taking the stand to testify on his own behalf, a risky move for any defendant.
On the stand last month, Blagojevich denied wrongdoing and told jurors his intent was to use the Obama seat as leverage to pass legislation that would have benefited Illinois residents.
Blagojevich was arrested in 2008 and removed from office by the state legislature the following year. The jury in the first trial was unable to reach a verdict on 20 of 21 counts but found the former governor guilty of one count of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a charge which carries a possible five-year sentence.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2011/06/27...ilty-on-17-of-20-counts/?mod=google_news_blog
Wonder how soon before his finally rats out Obama and Rahm Emanuel??
Blagojevich was convicted on 17 of 20 counts. The jury found him not guilty on one count and deadlocked on two other counts.
The jury panel deliberated for nine days, a long stretch that had some pundits predicting that the jury might be deadlocked on many of the charges, as they were during the first trial.
The verdict is certain to raise questions about the wisdom of Blagojevich taking the stand to testify on his own behalf, a risky move for any defendant.
On the stand last month, Blagojevich denied wrongdoing and told jurors his intent was to use the Obama seat as leverage to pass legislation that would have benefited Illinois residents.
Blagojevich was arrested in 2008 and removed from office by the state legislature the following year. The jury in the first trial was unable to reach a verdict on 20 of 21 counts but found the former governor guilty of one count of lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a charge which carries a possible five-year sentence.
http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2011/06/27...ilty-on-17-of-20-counts/?mod=google_news_blog
Wonder how soon before his finally rats out Obama and Rahm Emanuel??