Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich to address judge before sentencing
(CBS/AP) CHICAGO - With years of freedom hanging in the balance, disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday will get his final chance at trying to persuade a federal judge not to send him away for a lengthy prison term.
Blagojevich is expected to address Judge James Zagel on the second day of his sentencing hearing. Shortly after he speaks, Judge James Zagel is expected to announce how long the 54-year-old will spend behind bars for the 18 corruption counts that include his attempt to auction off President Barack Obama's old senate seat. The former governor faces a maximum sentence of 20 years.
Nearly three years after Blagojevich's arrest while still in office, the sentencing hearing Tuesday featured an admission by Blagojevich's attorneys that he was, in fact, guilty of public corruption. The defense admission of guilt came as something of a surprise - just days after defense filings declared Blagojevich's innocence.
But earlier Tuesday, Zagel seemed to signal he may be ready to impose a stiff prison sentence, telling the courtroom he thought Blagojevich lied when he testified on the stand at his retrial that he never sought to sell or trade the Senate seat.
Prosecutors have said Blagojevich hasn't previously displayed any remorse and has thumbed his nose at the justice system. But Blagojevich's attorneys said he has already paid a price in public ridicule and financial ruin - proposing a term of no more than a few years.
Blagojevich's sentencing comes just days before his 55th birthday nd three years to the week of his Dec. 9, 2008, arrest. The jury deadlocked in his first trial, agreeing on just one of 24 counts - that Blagojevich lied to the FBI. Jurors at his retrial convicted him on 17 of 20 counts, including bribery.
After sentencing, Zagel will likely give Blagojevich at least weeks before he must report to prison. Once there, the man heard scoffing on FBI wiretaps about earning a low six-figure salary would have to take a prison job - possibly scrubbing toilets - at just 12 cents an hour.