*** UPDATE - 2:44 pm *** From a press release…
Attorneys representing former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich will hold a news conference today at 3:30pm Chicago time to respond to today’s developments.
Where: 158 W. Erie, Chicago
When: 3:30pm
I’ll see if there’s some live audio or video available. What a freaking weird day this has been.
[ *** End of Update *** ]
* 1:03 pm - As if this day couldn’t get any crazier. I’ll have links in a minute or two.
* 1:04 pm - Here’s the main document. More in a bit.
Fact sheet…
SECOND SUPERSEDING INDICTMENT
United States v. Rod R. Blagojevich, et al., 08 CR 888 (N.D. IL)
Defendants:
Rod R. Blagojevich, 53
Alonzo Monk, 51
John Harris, 47
Robert Blagojevich, 54
Charges: Count(s) Defendant(s)
Racketeering Count 1 (new) Rod Blagojevich
Racketeering conspiracy Count 2 Rod Blagojevich
Wire fraud Counts 3-13 Rod Blagojevich (3-13)
Robt. Blagojevich (4, 13)
Attempted extortion Count 14 (new) Rod Blagojevich
Attempted extortion Count 15 Rod Blagojevich
Bribery Count 16 (new) Rod Blagojevich
Extortion conspiracy Count 17 Rod Blagojevich and Monk
Bribery conspiracy Count 18 (new) Rod Blagojevich
Attempted extortion Count 19 Rod Blagojevich
Bribery Count 20 (new) Rod Blagojevich
Extortion conspiracy Count 21 (new) Rod Blagojevich, Harris and
Robert Blagojevich
Attempted extortion Count 22 (new) Rod Blagojevich and
Robert Blagojevich
Bribery conspiracy Count 23 (new) Rod Blagojevich and
Robert Blagojevich
False statements Count 24 Rod Blagojevich
Forfeiture Blagojevich
Penalties (maximum on each count): Imprisonment Fine
Racketeering; racketeering conspiracy; wire fraud; attempted extortion and extortion conspiracy 20 years $250,000
Bribery 10 years $250,000
Bribery conspiracy 5 years $250,000
False statements 5 years $250,000
The defendants are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
* Government’s filing regarding second superseding indictment…
The Second Superseding Indictment presents the following eight new charges against various defendants.
Count One charges defendant Rod Blagojevich with substantive racketeering in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1962(c).
Count Fourteen charges defendant Rod Blagojevich with attempted extortion of United States Congressman A and United States Congressman A’s brother, in violation of Title 18, United State Code, Section 1951.
Count Sixteen charges defendant Rod Blagojevich with bribery in relation to the Chief Executive Officer of Children’s Memorial Hospital, and Children’s Memorial Hospital, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666. Count Eighteen charges defendant Rod Blagojevich and defendant Alonzo Monk with conspiracy to commit bribery in relation to Racetrack Executive, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371.
Count Twenty charges defendant Rod Blagojevich with bribery in relation to Construction Executive, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 666.
Count Twenty-One charges defendant Rod Blagojevich and defendant Robert Blagojevich with conspiracy to commit extortion in relation to the appointment of a United States Senator, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951.
Count Twenty-Two charges defendant Rod Blagojevich and defendant Robert Blagojevich with attempted extortion in relation to the appointment of a United States Senator, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section
Count Twenty-Three charges defendant Rod Blagojevich, defendant Robert Blagojevich, and defendant John Harris with conspiracy to commit bribery in relation to the appointment of a United States Senator, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371
LIVE session coverage...
- George - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:02 pm:
Maybe if there was a moon landing…
- Obamarama - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:06 pm:
What a day. I’m going to be out of anytime minutes by dinner.
- Mike - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:07 pm:
SLC, Blago reindicted, Supremes strike down med mal caps and the Gov mentions he is working with MM on the budget agenda which of course includes the tax increases which is becoming like a mantra for past year from him.
Great DEM news cycle, eh?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:09 pm:
Actually, Blago’s having a better day than many in the news here.
- Niles Township - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:16 pm:
Now Quinn can thank Blago for his job and for taking away some of the thunder of the developing SLC story.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:19 pm:
Rich, why are your stories always up before the Trib and Sun-Times websites? (Thanks.)
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:24 pm:
This is called the “Michael Corleone” method of trying to settle all DPI business:
Hynes bows out…
Madigan and Quinn have indeed talked about SLC, and will then proceed depending how the SLC presser goes…according to Quinn @ his presser
Blago gets reindicted, maybe, just maybe to be continued after the NOV election date…
Trial Lawyers and MJM liking the Supremes today…
Miller declares victory …
If they can get through all this in the next 5 days … heaven help the repubs …
But, as Lee Corso says, “Not so fast, my friend!”
* Alexi is not going to be able to run from Broadway Bank…
* SLC is still on the ballot, and until he is off, this is going to be an ongoing thorn in the side …
* Taxes are going to go up. Dems are going to have to lay all their members on these votes to get out …
* Quinn WILL sign a tax increase of some sort, almost goes without say …
In recap - Sounds like a bad day for the DPI, but if the “Michael Corleone” day can get some items out in front and adress them, it might not be as bad as we all think…like when Vito was just wounded, and the Corleones lived to fight another day.
- TJ - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:25 pm:
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but are these mostly new charges or just a regular procedural move for the older charges?
- Judgment Day Is On The Way - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:34 pm:
Oh, that poor Grand Jury.
Feel for those folks - having to go back and re-cover all that material again. And there’s 24 counts and a Forfeiture order.
Wonder if the GJ got to read all the testimony over again, or if they made those poor souls have to listen to FBI agents read them the testimony from the previous GJ.
And then there’s the AUSA(s) summarizing of all 24 counts (plus Forfeiture) prior to the GJ vote. Waterboarding would be kinder.
Fun times!
- Captain Flume - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:38 pm:
The implications here are that rod Blagojevich is guilty of the charges and that Scott Cohen is guilty of something he was never tried for. What a great judicial system by popular opinion we have! No wonder judges don’t many votes on election day, we all appoint ourselves.
- Amalia - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:38 pm:
let this be a lesson to all prosecutors, some laws may look
like it makes it easy to indict, but eventually you will have
to do it the way that makes the most sense.
think on that as you retry the evils Sanchez and del Valle.
- ToddAF - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:40 pm:
===* Taxes are going to go up. Dems are going to have to lay all their members on these votes to get out …===
Madigan will never allow a tax hike to go through without GOP votes in an election year. Unless the GOP inexplicably caves and puts votes on a tax hike this year, no chance of one until 2011, when Madigan and Cullerton can structure a tax hike vote to spare vulnerable lawmakers.
Expect more borrowing, fund sweeps, etc., to “balance” the next budget, or another six- or nine-month budget to last through November.
- Will County Woman - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:49 pm:
Captain Flume I agree 100 + percent.
- Quinn T. Sential - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:52 pm:
[Count Fourteen charges defendant Rod Blagojevich with attempted extortion of United States Congressman A and United States Congressman A’s brother, in violation of Title 18, United State Code, Section 1951.]
[Count Twenty-One charges defendant Rod Blagojevich and defendant Robert Blagojevich with conspiracy to commit extortion in relation to the appointment of a United States Senator, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1951. ]
[Count Twenty-Three charges defendant Rod Blagojevich, defendant Robert Blagojevich, and defendant John Harris with conspiracy to commit bribery in relation to the appointment of a United States Senator, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371]
So one is a charge of attempted extortion, while the other is a charge of conspiracy to commit extortion, followed by a single charge of conspiracy to commit bribery which includes Harris. This seems to meet the prerequisite to avoid having the potential “honest services” provision being declared unconstitutional and voiding their charges against Harris and scrapping their deal as well.
We know that the exchange rate for JJJ was the Senate seat, but are we sure we know yet what was being requested of RAHMBO? Is the SEIU leadership post the full extent of it, or does it go beyond that?
Presumptively; the White House Chief of Staff will be called to testify at trial. Cross examination could get rather interesting with regard to this; just in tme for the fall campaign.
[Count Eighteen charges defendant Rod Blagojevich and defendant Alonzo Monk with conspiracy to commit bribery in relation to Racetrack Executive, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 371. ]
This does not bode well for the racetracks in the riverboats suit against the racetracks to forestall the release of the 2% casino money to the tracks that is in limbo in the federal courts. Note that in this case the act associated charge is “bribery”, as opposed to “extortion”. The question remains as to whether the tracks were complicit in the conspiracy or not, and until that question is answered, it would appear that the casinos have a legitimate claim for the federales to keep a brick on releasing that money until that question gets asked and answered under oath.
- D.P. Gumby - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 1:55 pm:
TJ: The Feds had to allege real crimes rather than “theft of honest services” cuz it’s likely the U.S. Supremes will rule that “crime” unconstitutional which would mean the original indictment would have to be redone. There’s nothing particularly different in the conduct; just how it’s described to fit the crimes alleged.
- Secret Square - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 2:04 pm:
Why didn’t they just charge RRB, et al. with these offenses in the first place, if they have the evidence? Was it simply that charging “honest services” fraud was easier and quicker, especially since Fitz had a deadline looming to get the indictments done after RRB’s arrest?
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 3:16 pm:
WOW!
What a proud moment in Illinois history.
After Kerner, Walker and Ryan, Blagojevich is the first Illinois governor to be reindicted. Lower that bar!
WOO HOO!
- Secret Square - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 3:25 pm:
And don’t forget, VM, not only has RRB been indicted twice, he was even impeached twice too (by the 95th GA on 1/9/09 and again by the 96th GA on 1/14/09).
- TitforTat - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 3:26 pm:
If one takes the time to read the new indictment, I think you’ll agree the case looks weak.
- Hisgirlfriday - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 4:33 pm:
Who was United State Congressman A being extorted again??
Rahm Emanuel? And his brother Ari?
Is this new? It’s been a while since I’ve paid much attention to the Blago saga. How nice of the feds to reindict so we can all brush up for the summer.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Feb 4, 10 @ 7:01 pm:
ToddAF … Quinn talked about Tax increases … Everything is in play ….