A Northern District of Illinois federal jury, after fourteen days of deliberations, reached a decision on only one of twenty four counts brought against former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.  The jury found Blagojevich guilty of count 24 which alleged that Blagojevich violated 18 U.S.C. §1001(a)(2) by telling the FBI on March 16, 2005 that: (i) he tried to maintain a firewall between politics and government; and (ii) he did not track, or want to know, who contributed to him or how much they were contributing to him. 

United States District Judge James B. Zagel declared a mistrial as to the other 23 counts, which included allegations of Theft or Bribery Concerning Programs Receiving Federal Funds (18 U.S.C. §666(a)(1)); Wire Fraud (18 U.S.C. §1343); Honest Services Fraud (18 U.S.C. §1346) and Racketeering (18 U.S.C. 1962(c) and (d)). 

The charges included the accusation that Blagojevich tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat and that the governor had tried to use the power of his office for personal gain.

Federal prosecutors said immediately after the Court declared a mistrial that they will try Blagojevich again on the 23 counts.  Judge Zagel scheduled a hearing for August 26, 2010 to determine the manner and timing of retrial.

Tags: Blagojevich, Ethics, Jury decisions, Racketeering, Zagel