Blagojevich, Defrocked Governor of Illinois, Indicted
Rod Blagojevich, the defrocked governor of Illinois, was finally indicted on Thursday, April 2, on 16 counts in a 19 count, 75 page Superseding Indictment. Blagojevich, you will recall was arrested on December 9, 2008. The government at the end of December was granted a 90 day extension within which to bring an indictment. That time frame was set to expire on April 7. As expected Blagojevich becomes the second consecutive Illinois Governor indicted for racketeering conspiracy, among other charges, including mail fraud, wire fraud and honest services mail fraud. Five others were also indicted, including Blagojevich’s brother, Robert, a top fundraiser.
The criminal RICO enterprise is alleged to be the Office of the Governor of Illinois and the principal campaign fundraising vehicle for Blagojevich, “Friends of Blagojevich.”
Simply put, the indictment alleges what is generally called a “pay to play” scheme that included Blagojevich using his ability to fill President Obama’s vacant Senate seat, state jobs and other appointments in exchange for contributions, jobs and monies. The indictment also alleges that Blagojevich made false statements to the FBI in the presence of counsel in a 2005 interview with the FBI. Although Blagojevich’s wife is mentioned on several occasions in the indictment, she has not been charged.
