* From the AP…

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has a federal prison identification number.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has given Blagojevich the number 40892-424.

Typically, once inmates are assigned a number, it is their individual number throughout their prison term. It is also typically affixed to their prison clothes.

The 55-year-old Blagojevich has been ordered to report to prison on March 15. While he has asked to be incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution Englewood in Colorado, he could be sent elsewhere.

* You can track Blagojevich’s stay in prison with the BOP’s inmate locater website…

* Meanwhile, Commissioner Beavers seems to be taking a page from Blagojevich’s first trial, which ended in a hung jury on all but one count…

Cook County Commissioner William Beavers pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges Friday and then lobbed another bombshell — declaring U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald “a wild man” guilty of driving three political figures to suicide with “Gestapo-type tactics.”

After a relatively mundane arraignment hearing — lasting all of about 10 minutes — Beavers left the courtroom and walked in a crowd of reporters in the lobby of the Dirksen Federal building — unleashing on Fitzgerald.

“I do not owe the government any money — no taxes,” Beavers said, moving on to his next point: Fitzgerald.

“Let me tell you about this federal prosecutor. This man is like a wild man on a train, and somebody needs to stop him.

“He has caused three deaths — Michael Scott, Orlando Jones and Chris Kelly — with these Gestapo-type tactics that he used to try to make them tell on their friends,” said Beavers, 77.

Sam Adam and Sam Adam, Jr. are defending Beavers. They also defended RRB in his first trial.

* The Trib points out the problems with Beavers’ claims…

Randall Samborn, a spokesman for Fitzgerald, declined comment. But Beaver’s allegations don’t square with the known facts about two of the suicides.

Scott, the former Chicago schools chief, was not being investigated by federal authorities but his use of his Chicago public school credit card had been questioned.

Jones, a former top Cook County aide, was under investigation for an alleged contract scheme in Las Vegas.

       

28 Comments - PublicServant - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 9:39 am: The “Hog with the big N@#$” is just nutz. - Wensicia - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 9:43 am: The song “I Feel Like a Number” by Bob Seger just popped into my mind. - Irish - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 9:56 am: Or, “I fought the Law and the Law Won” - Shore - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 10:00 am: part of me watches this and just keeps thinking 2 words clay davis. - John A Logan - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 10:01 am: or “Baby don’t you lose my number” - langhorne - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 10:13 am: there will probably be a spike in lottery tickets sold with those numbers. beavers’ comments are highly reminiscent of blago, and how did that work out? - hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 10:14 am: Random thought… was Phil Pagano under federal investigation when his suicide happened or was he just afraid of some future investigation? I have heard someone in the Chicago legal community, a former judge and prosecutor who I would not have expected to say this, express a similar concern about how much pressure Fitz is putting on pols and how it’s pressure that he couldn’t get away with putting on other types of suspects where he wouldn’t have the media cheering him on. I’m not sure if I buy that fully, but it was just interesting that for certain criminals with certain public profiles there’s just so much more leverage a prosecutor has because of how much more they have at stake than say… a drug dealer whose reputation and public profile doesn’t matter as much. - Just Observing - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 10:24 am: Where/how does Blago turn himself in on March 15? Does he have to fly out on his own accord to the prison he is assigned to or does he just show up at a Chicago location and the Feds take care the rest? - Hunterdon - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 10:36 am: nice poker hand - a full house, 4s over 2s - morry levy - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 10:42 am: Shore, you could not be more spot on. Rich, I don’t see where BB said Scott was being investigated. “Just” being questioned ain’t no walk in the park. Even providing pure truth about friends might be real uncomfortable even if it is an obligation and even if the government is being completely ethical. - paddyrollingstone - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:00 am: Just Observing - Rod has to show up at the prison that the BOP assigned him to. Its up to him to get there. If he can’t afford to get there on his own, he can turn himself in downtown at the MCC at Dearborn and Van Buren but that place blows. - MrJM - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:00 am: New password… set. – MrJM - zatoichi - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:02 am: The Tommy Tutone ‘Jenny’ parodies will be on radio soon. - Tommydanger - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:08 am: Reminds me; “I am not a number, I am a free man” - Anonymous - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:10 am: The U.S. Attorney’s Office ain’t putting any more pressure on pols than is put on any criminal suspect being asked to cooperate. It happens all the time with drug dealers, fraudsters, and others. Are corrupt politicians exempt from being asked to tell the truth about their colleagues in crime? Should dirty contractors not have to say who else was involved in their criminal schemes? Judge Frank Wilson committed suicide when he learned that it had been disclosed that he accepted a bribe to fix a case for Harry Aleman. Was that Fitz’s fault, too (even though he was in New York at the time)? This is typical Adams stuff, attempting to pollute the jury pool by getting at least one juror to focus on anything other than the facts that will likely come out in court about Beavers. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:11 am: “One Timex digital watch, broken. One black suit jacket, one pair black suit pants. One hat… Black. One pair of sunglasses. $23.07. Welcome Home.” - Ron Burgundy - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:13 am: To Observing: Typically the inmate has to report to the facility itself during designated hours on the surrender date. I seem to recall an instance with another public corruption case here where the convicted official reported shortly after midnight in an attempt to avoid a media gathering at the facility. I expect we will see something similar here. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:26 am: 40892….. Number of times Rod said the “Mayor Daley” joke. Number of references to Rod’s hair in the media Number of Elvis references in Official speeches. Number of miles state troopers traveled with Rod, just from Springfield to Chicago. Number or radio appearances Rod denied being under investigation. Number of calls made to Barak Obama that went unanswered. Number of times Madigan bit his tongue about not talking to Rod. Number of times Rod said George was the “corrupt one”. Number of ties bought during his 1st term. Number of miles Rod ran thinking he was Forrest Gump. Number of times Dick Mell said he was sorry he met Rod. Number of times Paul Vallas forgot to visit downstate in the 1st primary. Number of times Scotty Fawell has been on TV telling us all what Rod should expect being incarcerated. Number of people bused to State Fair to “support Rod” while “volunteering”. Number of quarters needed to pay Rod’s fines to the Federal Court. Number of hair brush spikes broken - 1st term only. Number of times Donald Trump thought Rod was guilty of being a dope, but not guilty. Number of times Rod hid in the bathroom instead of signing bills passed. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:44 am: 40892…. Number of copies of Rod’s book “The Governor” that were printed … 424 … Number of copies of Rod’s book “The Governor” that were sold. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 11:56 am: 40892…. Number of signs IL Tollway had to replace with Rod’s name on them. Number of times Sam Adam, Jr. hyperventilated during the trial. Number of times the “truth will come out.” Number of tapes Rod actually wanted played at trial. Number of endorsements Rod gave that people now deny having. Number of times the judge asked Rod to let his lawyers do the talking. Number of autographs Rod signed entering and leaving the Federal Building. Number of people who have had Rod’s booking picture as a screen saver. Number of times Lincoln spun in his grave. Number of times Patrick Fitzgerald wanted to be US Attorney in Hawaii during the trials. Number of attorney’s meetings with elected officals since Rod’s conviction. Number of polls taken that have Illinois as a “corrupt” state. - anonymice - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 12:03 pm: ==“One Timex digital watch, broken . . . == One envelope cash, $25,000. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 12:09 pm: 40892 … Number of promises Rod gave to Unions, Seniors, Working Poor, Business Leaders and Elected Officials. 424 … Number of promises Rod gave to Unions, Seniors, Working Poor, Business Leaders and Elected Officials that Rod could actually DO as Governor. - Wumpus - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 12:45 pm: 4.08 - Randy Well’s ERA 92-wins for the NL Central Div Winner .424-Geovanny Soto’s Slugging % - Jim Ridings - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 2:34 pm: Let’s take bets on whether Rod surrenders or flees. - Shore - Tuesday, Mar 6, 12 @ 3:39 pm: Jim I was thinking he’d surrender early so that the media won’t have pictures of him going in. I am sure there have been a significant number of hotel bookings in the denver area from chicago and uptick in google searches of that prison in advance of next week. well played wordslinger. I would add Number of poor Patti and the kids stories in the chicago media. - Truth Is Painful - Wednesday, Mar 7, 12 @ 7:58 am: Hope the Feds are watching all the airports, bus stations, rail stations. No way he’s gonna do any time. Prisoner No. 40892-424 will never make it to Englewood. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Mar 7, 12 @ 8:20 am: I can’t believe I am typing this, or I have to type this, but I do believe it. Rod will show up, on time. He will do it for his kids. He is not going to cause any more embarrassment for them, including a “Dad on the Lamb”, and he won’t do that to Patti after ALL she has been through. Not an option, not even a thought. Rod will be there. - Gary Hutton - Wednesday, Mar 7, 12 @ 8:43 am: This art rings so true now. http://futuremd.blogspot.com/2008/12/wait-is-that-al-sharpton.html Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.