Blagojevich Convicted of One of Twenty-Four Counts
Former Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojevich was only convicted of 1 out of the 24 counts with which he was charged. According to sources, the jury was hung on many of the counts, but the more serious ones, which included Blagojevich trying to sell President Obama's Senate seat, had only one juror who believed he was innocent. The only count that the jury agreed on was that the former governor lied to FBI, which is a federal offense and a felony.
The prosecution is calling a mistrial and is insisting that they do a retry him. It is not certain who will pay for Blagojevich's defense this next time around, or if the prosecution and the defense will keep the same stories and tactics, or if new information will be introduced.
Blagojevich's brother was also held on four counts, although the jury mostly agreed that he was an unwitting pawn in the politics game. He is trying to have his case separated from Blagojevich's in order to save money on legal costs.
A Chicago Criminal Defense Attorney at our office can investigate and represent your case if you have been charged with a crime.