Former Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich, who was once a UT student, has been indicted with 19 corruption charges, of which 16 were felony counts.
The 75-page indictment brought on Rod Blagojevich and some of his closest associates includes felony counts of, but not limited to: racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion conspiracy and making false statements to federal agents.
Charges specifically against Blagojevich include racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud and making false statements to investigators, as well as others.
According to the Tampa Tribune, Rod Blagojevich enrolled in The University of Tampa in 1975, where his brother Rob was a junior on the baseball team. After Rob’s graduation in 1977, Rod transferred to Northwestern where he majored in history.
Rob Blagojevich graduated from UT in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
More recently, Rob returned to be the key note speaker at the commencement ceremony in May 2008. In his speech he encouraged graduates to make use of their connections and networking skills.
‘My intent here is to strongly encourage you to take advantage of all of the resources at your disposal to help you get to where you want to go,’ said the elder Blagojevich.
Rod Blagojevich also included his business number (615-269-6055) in the speech and urged the graduates to give him a call. He wanted to be available to students to be a part of their growing networks.
Rob has been indicted with his brother on two counts of wire fraud.
According to the Suntimes.com, Rob Blagojevich took over his brother’s campaign fund in August, where he made $12,500 a month. Rob Blagojevich did not get charged in December, however, he was listed in the indictment as ‘Fund-Raiser A.’
‘We were hoping he wouldn’t be charged,’ said Rob Blagojevich’s lawyer, Michael Ettinger. ‘We expect he’ll be cleared at trial.’
On Dec. 9, 2008, former Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff, John Harris, were arrested on federal corruption charges alleging that they and others were engaging in ongoing criminal activity: conspiring to obtain personal financial benefits, threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company; and to obtain campaign contributions in exchange for official actions. The same day, Rod Blagojevich was released on a $4,500 bail.
Rod Blagojevich also allegedly attempted to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
The 76-page indictment from December has 33 references to a ‘Fundraiser A,’ who played an integral role in the governor’s attempts to raise money and build political connections.
The governor is accused of attempting to get a $50,000 campaign contribution from Patrick Magoon, the CEO of Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, and in return Rob
Blagojevich would steer $8 million in state funds to the hospital.
He reportedly later tried to rescind the commitment of funds when the CEO backed out of his campaign contribution.
If Rob Blagojevich is indeed ‘Fundraiser A’ he was involved in this negotiation, according to the federal affidavit.
‘I’ve left three messages there (with the CEO), so I’m gonna quit calling,’ he reportedly said, after not hearing from the hospital executive. ‘I feel stupid now.’
The governor even knew about the investigation and later warned Rob to be careful when meeting with lobbyists.
‘Yeah, now be real careful there,’ he said before a meeting about contributions from a highway contractor. ‘I mean, the FBI went to see [Lobbyist 2]. You understand?’
Later, the affidavit details a conversation between the governor and the UT grad about a $60,000 contribution from an engineering firm that had received $10 million during each fiscal year between 2004 and 2008.
The governor was also supporting a bill that would open up billions of dollars for infrastructure rebuilding that would benefit the engineering firm.
On Thursday, Rod Blagojevich, who had been at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort ‘amp; Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., reportedly did not return a phone messages. Similarly, it has also been reported that his attorney, Terence P. Gillespie, failed to return a phone call seeking comment.
The indictment allows for a criminal trial, but no court date has been set.
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