Blagojevich Re-Sentencing Hearing Tuesday; Patti Expected To Make Statement
Chicago (CBS) -- Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's re-sentencing on 13 corruption convictions is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Tuesday at the Dirksen federal building.
Members of the Blagojevich family are expected to speak at the hearing. Patti Blagojevich, the former governor's wife, is to make a statement following the hearing at Dirksen alongside appellate attorney Len Goodman.
As earlier announced, Blagojevich will not make an in-person appearance, rather will attend the hearing via video conference from prison in Colorado. U.S District Judge James Zagel approved the arrangement, after the U.S. Bureau of Prisons recommended the move, because transporting Blagojevich through the prison system from Colorado to Chicago would have taken up to two weeks.
A federal appeals court ordered the new sentencing hearing after it threw out five of his 18 corruption convictions last year.
Blagojevich's defense team is asking Zagel to reduce his sentence to five years. Blagojevich has served more than four years of his original 14-year sentence, which would mean he would be released almost immediately.
Federal prosecutors want the original sentence reinstated, arguing he has not truly accepted responsibility for his crimes, and does not deserve leniency.
While the appeals court tossed some of the charges connected to allegations Blagojevich tried to sell or trade an appointment to President Barack Obama's Senate seat, the ruling does not necessarily mean he will get a reduced sentence.
The hearing is expected to last no more than two hours.
