Blagojevich trial to begin in June
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s trial will begin in June, which gives fellow Democrats reason to squirm before the mid-term elections.
The judge in Blagojevich’s corruption case turned down the defense’s request to delay the trial to November, which would have been after the November 2 election.
“I think there has been adequate time” to prepare, Judge James Zagel of the U.S. District Court in Chicago said.
Defense lawyers had argued a pending Supreme Court ruling on the “honest services” law, expected in June, would have a bearing on trial strategy. They also complained of having to review a mountain of evidence.
“The evidence is going to be the same no matter what the law is,” Zagel said, in turning aside the defense motion that he labelled a “red herring.”
Prosecutors said the case is about bribery, extortion and other malfeasance by Blagojevich, without suggesting who else might be implicated.
Defense lawyers have said they might try to call White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and other administration figures to show Blagojevich was not leveraging his power to fill President Barack Obama’s old U.S. Senate seat.
Prosecutors urge throwing the book at convicted ex-lawmaker
A U.S. judge on Friday will sentence former Congressman William “Cold Cash” Jefferson after he was convicted on multiple bribery and money laundering charges. And prosecutors want to throw the book at him.
The former Louisiana lawmaker faces between 27 and 33 years in prison according to federal sentencing guidelines and prosecutors said that sounds good to them. Authorities discovered $90,000 in Jefferson’s freezer during their investigation.
“As the defendant stands convicted of some of the most serious corrupt schemes uncovered in recent history, he is without remorse and has yet to accept responsibility for his actions,” according to a memorandum filed with the court late Friday.
“A severe sentence would send the message to the public that such egregious and criminal behavior will not be tolerated in our society,” the prosecutors counseled. They also asked that Jefferson, 62, immediately go to prison for fear he would flee the country before his appeals are exhausted.
The ex-congressman was convicted in August on 11 of 16 counts of bribery, racketeering and money laundering. He was accused in 2007 of soliciting millions of dollars in bribes from companies while using his office to broker business deals in Africa.
Jefferson lost re-election last year to Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao — yes, the lone Republican who voted for the Democrats’ health care reform bill that passed the House of Representatives late Saturday. (The district is heavily Democratic and includes most of New Orleans.)
Jefferson acknowledged when he was first charged that he had made mistakes in judgment that he regretted, but denied selling his office or trading official acts for money.
Good. Jefferson got 13 years in prison (he could have received 30 years). He stood to gain hundreds of millions from his bribery scheme.
Yes brian lee you are correct. There is so much emphasis on the last president, that those stone throwers are forgetting the democrats in congress that congress just ignores. I forgot, congress is controlled by democrats, silly me.
