Rod Blagojevich
Milorad " Rod" R. Blagojevich ( born December 10, 1956 in Chicago, Illinois ) is an American politician (Democratic Party). From 2003 until his retirement in January 2009, he was the 40th Governor of the State of Illinois. In 2011 he was sentenced to a 14-year prison sentence for corruption.
Early years and political rise
Blagojevich is descended from Serbian parents. He first attended Foreman High School and then to 1979 Northwestern University. Then he studied until 1983 at Pepperdine University in Malibu (California ) law and received the Juris Doctor degree. He then practiced as a lawyer.
Between 1986 and 1988, Blagojevich was a deputy prosecutor in Cook County. From 1993 to 1996 he sat as an MP in the House of Representatives from Illinois; 1997 to 2003 he represented his congressional district (5th Congressional District of Illinois) in the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington. In 2002 he was nominated by the Democratic Party as a candidate for the gubernatorial elections and subsequently elected by the voters in this office.
Governor of Illinois
Rod Blagojevich took up his new post in January 2003. After his re-election in 2006, he would have originally remained until January 2011, in this post. In his first term, he sat down for an improvement of health care, better education and better internal security policy a. He tried to liven up even the country's economy. In 2004, the minimum hourly wage in Illinois was set at 6.50 U.S. dollars and in his first term originated under National Governors Association more than 150,000 new jobs in Illinois.
Allegations of corruption, impeachment and conviction
On 9 December 2008 Blagojevich was (Board Games surgery) arrested by FBI on corruption investigations. He was accused, among other things, to want to sell the vacant Senate seat of President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for financial benefits. Obama himself distanced himself from the " Chicago " principle, the " machine politics", corruption and profiteering in the politics of Chicago: " That would be a failure to meet all of which concerned my campaign ." He himself was "appalled and disappointed ".
Lisa Madigan, Attorney General of the State of Illinois, filed for bankruptcy on the state Supreme Court to be explained Blagojevich for incapacitation. This application was rejected by the court. On 15 December 2008 was officially launched impeachment proceedings against him by the House of Representatives from Illinois. However, Blagojevich announced December 30, 2008, he appoints the former Attorney General of Illinois, Roland Burris, replacing Obama as U.S. Senator. Whether this appointment would take effect, was originally questionable as Illinois ' Secretary of State, Jesse White, initially declared that he would refuse to countersign the appointment; In addition, the Senate leadership in Washington announced its refusal to accept a appointed by Blagojevich Senator. Finally, the appointment was yet accepted, and Burris was sworn in on 15 January 2009 as a senator.
On 8 January 2009, the House of Representatives from Illinois decided to 114:1 votes to apply for Blagojevich's impeachment. On 29 January 2009 the State Senate then unanimously decided to dismiss Rod Blagojevich of his office. New governor was Democrat Pat Quinn, previously Deputy Governor.
2010 Blagojevich was indicted in 24 points, including corruption and blackmail; However, the jury could not agree on a verdict in August 2010 in 23 of those points. Only because of false statements to the FBI, the former governor was found guilty in this case.
In a second process in June 2011, Blagojevich was found guilty in 17 of 20 charges in Chicago. The court considered it proven that Blagojevich tried, after the victory of Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential election in 2008 to sell the vacant seat in the Senate of the United States. In December 2011, the sentence to 14 years in prison has been fixed. Since the late 1960s, Blagojevich is by Otto Kerner, Daniel Walker and his immediate predecessor, George Ryan, the fourth former governor of Illinois, has been sentenced to several years in prison.
Others
In November 2011, former Blagojevich fundraiser of Tony Rezko was sentenced to ten and a half years in prison.
Private
Rod Blagojevich is married to Patricia Mell and the couple have two daughters. His parents came from Serbia; He is the second governor of Serbian origin of a U.S. State after George Voinovich (Ohio ). The "R " in its name does not stand for an interim name, but has been added in memory of his late father Radiša from him.