High Court Rejects Blagojevich Appeal In Corruption Case
his Dec. 19, 2008 file photo shows Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevic at the State of Illinois Building in Chicago. Blagojevich, facing a federal corruption complaint, says he is not guilty of any criminal wrongdoing and plans to stay on the job. M. Spencer/Associated Press
The U-S Supreme Court has rejected former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's appeal of his corruption convictions that included his attempt to sell the vacant Senate seat once occupied by President Barack Obama.
The justices on Monday let stand an appeals court ruling that found Blagojevich crossed the line when he sought money in exchange for naming someone to fill the seat.
The 59-year-old Blagojevich is serving a 14-year sentence at a federal prison in Colorado.
A federal appeals court last year threw out five of his 18 convictions and Blagojevich was hoping the Supreme Court would consider tossing the rest.
His lawyers argued that the line between the legal and illegal trading of political favors has become blurred, potentially leaving politicians everywhere subject to prosecution.
Blagojevich's wife, Patti Blagojevich, released a statement later Monday, saying she and their two children are "incredibly disappointed'' and that it's "not the outcome'' they "had hoped and prayed for.''
She says they have "faith in the system'' and that they "long for the day'' that Blagojevich returns home.
And a lawyer for the former governor, Leonard Goodman, said after the court's decision Monday that he could ask it again to consider hearing the case. That's because one argument prosecutors made against the appeal was that the government hasn't decided whether to retry Blagojevich on five dismissed counts.
Prosecutors could, but are not expected to, retry Blagojevich on the five counts.