Jurors were close to convicting Rod Blagojevich on many charges, including Senate seat count
By Michael Tarm, APWednesday, August 18, 2010
Jurors were close to convicting Rod Blagojevich
CHICAGO — Eleven jurors were ready to convict Rod Blagojevich of what prosecutors called a “political corruption crime spree.”
The lone holdout would agree only that Blagojevich lied to the FBI.
That led to a guilty verdict on just one count Tuesday, and a mistrial on the other 23 counts against Blagojevich.
Juror Stephen Wlodek says the holdout “just did not see the evidence that everyone else did.”
Two other jurors said most agreed that Blagojevich was guilty of the most sensational allegation — that the former Illinois governor tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s Senate seat.
Prosecutors said they plan to retry Blagojevich.
Blagojevich promised to appeal his conviction on the single count.
