Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison on 7 December 2011. He was arrested and charged with a wide-ranging corruption spree that included trying to auction off President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat.
Blagojevich, a onetime rising star in the Democratic Party whose public defense strategy included stints on reality TV, a media tour and a book.
He was convicted over the course of two trials on 18 counts of corruption.
His crimes included lying to the FBI, attempting to shake down a children's hospital for campaign contributions and seeking to secure campaign funds, a cabinet post or an endowment for a new foundation in exchange for the Senate seat vacated by Obama.
Under federal guidelines, he is to serve 85% of his sentence, or around 12 years.
Blagojevich, a onetime rising star in the Democratic Party whose public defense strategy included stints on reality TV, a media tour and a book.
He was convicted over the course of two trials on 18 counts of corruption.
His crimes included lying to the FBI, attempting to shake down a children's hospital for campaign contributions and seeking to secure campaign funds, a cabinet post or an endowment for a new foundation in exchange for the Senate seat vacated by Obama.
Under federal guidelines, he is to serve 85% of his sentence, or around 12 years.
