Rod Blagojevich Verdict: Guilty of Lying to Feds
After deliberating for 14 days, a federal jury convicted former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on a single, less serious count of making false statements to the FBI, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Jurors were deadlocked on the other 23 counts against the former governor, and all four counts against his older brother Robert. The prosecution announced there will be a retrial of the case. Most likely Blagojevich won't see any sort of punishment for his one conviction until after that happens.
Blagojevich, a Democrat and lifelong politician from Chicago, had always proclaimed his innocence and did so again as he left court. He vowed to appeal the single conviction and declared that he was a victim of persecution by the federal government.
