Former Illinois Governor charged in fresh corruption charges

February 05, 2010 10:53 am | Updated December 15, 2016 04:22 am IST - Chicago

File Photo of former Illinois Governor Rod Blogajevich in Chicago. He had been re-indicted in fresh corruption charges on Friday. Photo: AP

File Photo of former Illinois Governor Rod Blogajevich in Chicago. He had been re-indicted in fresh corruption charges on Friday. Photo: AP

Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been charged in a fresh corruption indictment that contains racketeering and attempted extortion of the US Presidential chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.

The 113-page indictment, which also names Blagojevich’s brother Rob, adds eight new charges. The former governor, who was kicked out of office last year on corruption charges including he tried to auction President Barack Obama’s vacant senate seat, now faces 24 counts in all.

The new charges are: racketeering, attempted extortion involving then Congressman Emanuel and his brother, bribery involving the CEO of Children’s Memorial Hospital, bribery involving a construction executive, conspiracy to commit bribery involving a Racetrack executive, conspiracy to commit extortion tied to appointing a US Senator, attempted extortion in relation to a US Senate seat appointment and conspiracy to commit bribery involving the senate seat appointment.

Prosecutors said the new charges against the duo was a legal maneuver to help keep the case on track for a June trial. The ex-governor and his brother may make an appearance again in federal court to formally enter a plea to the new indictment.

Blagojevich’s lawyer said the new charges will not translate into a trial date extension. “It does not change the strategy at all. We have maintained from day one that the governor is innocent,” lawyer Aaron Goldstein said.

Blagojevich was indicted last April on 16 counts, including racketeering conspiracy.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.