Former Illinois governor found guilty on corruption charges

Jun 27, 2011, 19:26 GMT

Washington - Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was on Monday found guilty in 17 of 20 corruption charges in connection with allegations that he tried to sell the Senate seat vacated when US President Barack Obama took office.

The jury ruled that he was innocent in one of the charges, and did not make a decision in two other charges.

Blagojevich was found guilty last year of making false statements to federal investigators, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the other counts. Federal prosectors then reintroduced the counts in a second trial.

Blagojevich had been accused of trying to sell Obama's seat after he was caught on wiretap by federal investigators during a previous investigation. The charges included racketeering, extortion, bribery and conspiracy.

Blagojevich was arrested in December 2008 - weeks after Obama won the presidential election - after being recorded in a profanity-laced conversation describing the Senate vacancy as a 'golden' asset for which he was seeking political or financial returns.

The Illinois General Assembly impeached Blagojevich the following January and removed him from office. He went on to appear on television talks shows and continually professed his innocence.