Ex-Illinois governor jailed for 14 years

CHICAGO – Rod R Blagojevich, a former governor of Illinois, was sentenced yesterday to 14 years for 18 felony corruption convictions, including trying to sell or trade the Senate seat that President Obama left behind when he moved to the White House.

The sentence, which fell just short of what prosecutors asked for, was given after Mr Blagojevich apologised in court to residents of his state, to the judge and to his family.

“I have nobody to blame but myself for my stupidity and actions, words, things that I did,” he said.

The maximum sentences for his crimes would have seen him jailed for hundreds of years: federal prosecutors argued that he deserved at least 15 to 20 years in prison. – (New York Times)

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