Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption
(CBS/AP) CHICAGO - A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to 14 years in prison for corruption that included trying to sell or trade an appointment to the Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
It's one of the stiffest penalties for corruption in a state with a history of crooked politics.
Blagojevich's 18 convictions included allegations of trying to leverage his power to appoint someone to President Obama's vacated seat to raise campaign cash or land a high-paying job.
"When it is the governor who goes bad the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily repaired," Judge James Zagel said.
The twice-elected Democrat is now the second former Illinois governor in a row to be sentenced to prison, and the fourth Illinois governor in the last four decades. His Republican predecessor, George Ryan, currently is serving a sentence of 6 1/2 years, also for corruption.
Blagojevich told Zagel earlier Wednesday that he made "terrible mistakes" and acknowledged that he broke the law when he tried to sell the president's former seat. Blagojevich apologized, but said he did not know he was breaking the law, saying he thought was he was doing was "permissible.
Zagel gave him little leeway, telling Blagojevich that he gave him credit for taking responsibility but that his apology didn't mitigate his crimes.
"Whatever good things you did for people as governor, and you did some, I am more concerned with the occasions when you wanted to use your powers when you wanted to do things that were only good for yourself."
Prosecutors said earlier that the former governor was "incredibly manipulative. " They said he knew he was breaking the law. Blagojevich's attorneys had said the sentence of 15 to 20 years prosecutors wanted was too harsh.
Blagojevich's sentencing comes just days before his 55th birthday and 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.
While Blagojevich will likely end up at a minimal security prison, he'll be largely cut off from the outside world. Visits by family are strictly limited, Blagojevich will have to share a cell with other inmates and he must work an eight-hour-a-day menial job - possibly scrubbing toilets or mopping floors - at just 12 cents an hour.
Most of the prisons where Blagojevich could end up are outside Illinois. One is in Terre Haute, Ind., where Ryan is serving his own sentence.