Rod Blagojevich Found Guilty on One Count

(USA Today) Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was found guilty on one count which was just one of four felony corruption counts--lying to the FBI.  Federal prosecutor Reid Schar said it is "absolutely our intent" to retry the 23 charges on which the judge declared a mistrial.  "We could hear more tomorrow," Schar said.  U.S. District Judge James Zagel set an August 26 hearing to decide the timing of the retrial.  "This is a persecution," Blagojevich told reporters in the courthouse lobby.  "I didn't break any laws.  I didn't do anything wrong."  He angrily called the charge of which he was found guilty "one nebulous charge from five years ago," and said he will appeal that verdict.  Juror Erik Sarnello of Itasca, Ill. told the Associated Press that the jury was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of convicting Blagojevich of trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama.  Sarnello said one woman on the panel just didn't see what we all saw. 

The outcome of the 11-week trial on the 14th day of deliberations was a dramatic chapter in a chronicle that began with Blagojevich's arrest in 2008.  U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said then that he had interrupted a "political corruption crime spree."  The jury of six men and six women reached no decision on other charges against the former Democratic governor: racketeering, wire fraud, attempted extortion, bribery, and conspiracy.  The charge on which he was convicted carries a prison sentence of up to five years; many of the other charges carried penalties of up to 100 years each.  Blagojevich didn't testify and his legal team didn't call witnesses.  Blagojevich's brother, Robert, 54, a Nashville businessman who helped raise campaign money, was charged with four felonies.  The jury was hung on those counts.  Collins stated that what happened in the jury room might affect the way prosecutors reshape their case for retrial. 

Democratic state Rep. Jack Franks, who served on the Blagojevich impeachment panel, welcomed the conviction but said it's unfortunate the retrial will continue to highlight, "the cesspool of corruption that's overtaken Illinois government."  We'll stay tuned to see what happens.