Case Felony Corruption,St. Charles residents react to Blagojevich conviction

Former Gov.Rod Blagojevich was convicted of 17 counts of felony corruption Monday,June 27 out of 20 he was facing in a retrial.
Jurors found the twice-elected governor guilty of 10 counts of wire fraud and several counts of extortion,attempted extortion and bribery,which are in addition to a single guilty verdict from last year’s initial trial.Blagojevich was acquitted of one charge —the first since his indictment —of bribery in an alleged tollway shakedown scheme.

The jury was deadlocked on two other counts— both attempted extortion — that likely won’t be heard in court again.
Meanwhile, Blagojevich has been barred from leaving the northern district of Illinois without permission from Judge James Zagel while he awaits an Aug.1 status hearing before sentencing,according to The Associated Press.

Thirteen of the charges have a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
Mike Anderson,of St.Charles,who was outside a The House bar smoking a cigarette, reacted with little surprise when he heard the former governor had been convicted of corruption charges.
“I hear we’re one of the most corrupt states in the country,” he said.“Obviously he’s guilty of the charges.”

However, he’s less certain whether the conviction will change anything when it comes to corrupt politicians in Illinois.

“I would hope,” he said. “But political corruption runs rampant through the whole world, whether its a democracy or a monarchy.”

While Anderson had little pity for the convicted governor, Mary Elliot, of St. Charles, does.
“I don’t think he’s guilty,” she said while walking the bridge over the Fox River. “He’s not doing anything other politicians aren’t, he’s the only one who’s caught.”

When Blagojevich was tried last year and the jury was unable to reach a decision, Elliot said she was happy.

“I feel sorry for him,” she said. “In a way, I like Blagojevich, I believe he’s truthful.”

Meanwhile, Melva Walker, of Elmhurst, who followed the trial over the radio, found the ordeal embarrassing for Illinoisians. But she added that she can see how others might be duped into feeling sorry for him.

“He has a very appealing and innocent-looking face,” she said. “People tend to feel sorry for him.”

Today’s verdict likely marks the end of jury judgments for Blagojevich after a two and a half year saga that included two, six-week trials as well as a statehouse impeachment. It was not immediately clear this afternoon whether Blagojevich will be filing an appeal, but he vowed he would after the guilty verdict last year.

As a result of the convictions of Blagojevich and other politicians, Ray Rogina, a St. Charles alderman, said Illinois has become a laughing stock.

“I think about the people in Illinois, they deserve better as far as leadership,” he said.

In addition, St. Charles alderman Jim Martin said it’s about time Blagojevich was found guilty.

“He’s been a black eye to the state of Illinois,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for the final verdict.”

Despite the conviction, Martin said it will likely be a long time before many Illinoisians trust in the government returns.

“I would hope it would be a message to those who are less than honest,” he said.

Blagojevich was arrested in late 2008 while in office and indicted with two-dozen corruption and fraud charges. Investigators linked him to several criminal schemes, including a plan to sell Illinois’ U.S. Senate seat as well as political shakedown of Chicago’s Children Memorial Hospital. In one other alleged scheme — a pay-to-play scheme involving Illinois Tollway construction projects — the jury either found him not guilty or could not agree on a verdict.

The first trial last summer was to decide 24 charges against Blagojevich and his brother, but it ended with a surprising hung jury that could only settle on one count — lying to the FBI.

The second trial played out as a more muted sequel to last year’s, when Blagojevich’s high-end defense team performed with flair in the courtroom. Early in the first trial, defense lawyers promised Blagojevich would take the stand to answer charges, only to back out when they claimed prosecutors made a weak case.

This time, Blagojevich testified over seven days. His testimony was similar to the self-defense in the media over the past two years.

Before his attorneys, he cast himself as a humble and hard-working public service, while he denied wrong-doing to prosecutors. The tapes caught him out of context and were misconstrued, he said.

Rogina, who teaches law at Aurora University, said the outcome of the second trial was different because it was streamlined.

“It wasn’t as complicated,” he said. “The evidence was the same, but some charges were dropped.”

Rogina said he believes that justice probably prevailed.

“It really opens your eyes,” he said. “When public trust is broken, we all become losers.