Former Gov. Blagojevich again appeals prison term
CHICAGO - Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich is asking a U.S. appeals court to nullify his 14-year prison term and order a third sentencing hearing, with a lawyer arguing on his behalf that the Democrat's model behavior behind bars and other factors justified a reduction in his sentence.
Attorneys for the Chicago Democrat filed the appeal late Tuesday with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The filing comes in the wake of Blagojevich's resentencing on Aug. 9, when trial Judge James Zagel refused to lower the original 14-year sentence.
The 7th Circuit had ordered that August resentencing after tossing five of Blagojevich's 18 convictions in 2015. The 60-year-old's remaining convictions include trying to trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's old Senate seat for campaign cash.
Prosecutors will have a chance to respond to the filing, and oral arguments would then be scheduled before a three-judge panel of the Chicago-based appellate court.
Read more: http://www.sj-r.com/news/20161221/former-gov-blagojevich-again-appeals-prison-term