Blagojevich handed 14-year jail term as judge ignores pleas for leniency | World news | guardian.co.uk: A district judge ignored pleas for leniency as he sent the former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, to prison for 14 years for trying to sell a vacant seat to the US Senate.
Under federal rules Blagojevich must serve just under 12 years at the very least – almost twice as much as his predecessor, George Ryan, who was imprisoned for six years for his corrupt activities as governor.
The judge said a harsh penalty was necessary because Blagojevich had "torn at the fabric" of the state and left it disfigured by trying to secure a high-paying job or campaign funds through his power to appoint someone to Barack Obama's vacant senate seat. Blagojevich does not have to report to federal prison until 16 February.