CHICAGO (AP) – A federal judge will decide Tuesday whether to cut ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year prison sentence on more than a dozen convictions upheld by an appellate court, including that he sought to exchange an appointment to President Barack Obama’s old U.S. Senate seat in exchange for campaign cash.
Blagojevich, known as Inmate No. 40892-424 since he went to prison in 2012, won a resentencing hearing after an appeals court struck down five of his 18 convictions. The Democrat is scheduled to appear on a courtroom screen through a video from a Colorado prison, which will mark his first public appearance since entering prison.
Famously fastidious about his dark hair as governor, it has turned all white in prison, where his hair dyes are banned.
The one-time contestant on Donald Trump’s “Celebrity Apprentice” reality show has asked U.S. District Judge James Zagel to sharply reduce his sentence on the upheld convictions. Prior to Tuesday, Blagojevich’s projected release date was 2024, factoring in two years of credit for good behavior.
His wife, Patti Blagojevich, also asked for leniency in a letter to Zagel contained in court documents filed Monday.