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Elvis Presley impersonators and a colorful inflatable bounce house are making for a festive auction of items connected to former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. A life-sized statue of Elvis Presley and a neon "Governor Blagojevich" sign were among the hot items available Thursday after a suburban Chicago storage facility evicted material being stored by Blagojevich's campaign fund. The statue sold for $20,500. Other items included a $120 plaque rewarding Blagojevich for political leadership.

Chicago (AP) -- Former Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich says all he's guilty of is some "political horse trading" and that if that's a crime, prosecutors need to charge every politician in America. . . .

<p>John Grover, 52, a juror from Joliet, said he grew so frustrated after three days of deliberating on the same charge that he yelled at the woman who refused to join the other 11 in agreeing to convict.</p> <p>"I gave her a piece of my mind," Grover said. "If it wasn't for that one lady, we'd have had him convicted on probably 80 percent of (the indictment)."</p>

Chicago - Jurors who handed down a single guilty verdict against former Gov. Rod Blagojevich have said there was one hold out who kept them from convicting Blagojevich of one of the most serious allegations: that he tried to sell an appointment to the U.S. Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama. Sources tell CBS 2 News that the holdout juror is Jo Ann Chiakulas, a retired state employee. She used to work for the Illinois Department of Public Health, had been a director of teen counseling for the Chicago Urban League

A juror in the corruption trial of Rod Blagojevich says the panel was deadlocked 11-1 in favor of convicting the former Illinois governor of trying to sell or trade President Obama's former Senate seat. Juror Erik Sarnello of Itasca, Ill., said a female holdout "just didn't see what we all saw." The 21-year-old Sarnello said the counts around the Senate seat were "the most obvious." The jury convicted Blagojevich Tuesday of a lesser charge, lying to federal agents, but could not reach an agreement on the remaining 23 charges.

CHICAGO – "Blago on Trial, The Sequel" promises to be as circus-like and nearly as expensive as the first trial of the former Illinois governor. And in a state with a huge budget deficit, some people would prefer not to see it at all. But the next round could also look different if prosecutors adjust their strategy after listening to jurors who deadlocked on all but one charge against Rod Blagojevich. And despite their defiance after the verdict, defense attorneys could offer a few surprises too — if they are still on the job. Could prosecutors decide to call witnesses...

Share We’ve all been wondering how in the world Blago could have escaped the other 23 counts he was charged with. Today, it has been revealed it was an 11:1 vote and the holdout was a woman who could not be swayed. Chicago Local News writes: “Overall, I’d say everyone was pretty respectful. In the beginning, it was a little more heated, a lot more emotions, voting was defensive. And then we checked ourselves and took emotion out of it,” said Sarnello. “To me, it was pretty clear where we were gonna end about the third day.” They ended in...

Moments after a rare setback, a chastened U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald was acting nothing like the swaggering prosecutor who just 20 months earlier proclaimed he had arrested a sitting governor to stop a political crime spree. -snip- Fitzgerald's reticence stood in sharp contrast to the reaction of Blagojevich's father-and-son defense team. Sam Adam and his son Sam Adam Jr. launched into a diatribe against the city's longest-serving U.S. attorney after hearing the jury's verdict, calling him "nuts" and accusing him of running a "banana republic." In what clearly will become their mantra in the months leading up to a promised...

CHICAGO — U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says the government is getting ready for a retrial against ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich). Fitzgerald spoke to reporters on Tuesday after a jury found Blagojevich guilty of one count of lying to federal agents. The judge declared a mistrial in the other 23 counts against him. Fitzgerald thanked the jury for their service and said he didn't have any other comment. Prosecutors had accused Blagojevich of trying to sell or trade President Barack Obama's former U.S. Senate seat among other allegations. Blagojevich had maintained that he did no wrongdoing. THIS IS A BREAKING...

A federal judge says he intends to declare a mistrial on the remaining counts in the political corruption trial of ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich). The jury found Blagojevich guilty of one count of lying to federal agents. There were 23 other counts against Blagojevich and four against his brother. The jury delivered its verdict on Tuesday.

Former governor Rod Blagojevich was found guilty on only one of 24 counts against him. The jury appears hung on the others. The guilty verdict was on Count 24: providing false statements to officers. After the reading, the jury was thanked and asked to return to the jury room. *snip* Before the verdict was read, Judge Zagel said that there may not be verdicts in all 24 counts with which Blagojevich is charged -- and that any counts dealing with forfeiture will be dealt with on Wednesday morning.

CHICAGO (AP) -- A federal judge says he intends to declare a mistrial on the remaining counts in the political corruption trial of ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (blah-GOY'-uh-vich). The jury found Blagojevich guilty of one count of lying to federal agents. There were 23 other counts against Blagojevich and four against his brother.

Lawyers in the Rod Blagojevich corruption trial have been summoned back to the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse by U.S. District Judge James Zagel and are beginning to congregate in his courtroom this afternoon. Blagojevich and his brother, Robert, have also been told to come to the courthouse, and the former governor was seen leaving his home around 3:15 p.m. It is not yet clear what prompted this, but it comes after the jury sent a note this morning to the judge that indicated it might be getting close to concluding its deliberations. In the note, jurors asked for two things: a...

ury Agrees on Only 2 Counts; Has Yet to Discuss 11 Counts in 12 Days of Deliberations. The jury deliberating the case of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has come to agreement on only two of the 24 counts. Of the 22 remaining counts, the jurors said that they haven't discussed 11 counts of wire fraud. Of the 11 counts they have discussed but have been unable to reach agreement on, they indicated that they appear to be deadlocked.

People are assembling for a scheduled 11 a.m. hearing in which we expect to get more information on the jury's deadlock. Robert Blagojevich walks in the 25th floor courtroom alongside his wife, Julie, and son, Alex. "Good morning," he says to the reporters assembling in the hall. A few minutes later, the father and son Sam Adams walk in, all smiles. Sam Sr. is dressed in a tan three-piece suit. There's a line of people running all the way down the hallway of the 25th floor. Some are members of the public, hoping to slip into the courtroom -- even...

In Illinois, the Republican Senate nominee, Rep. Mark Kirk, is making a two-step connection between Saddam Hussein and Democratic candidate Alexi Giannoulias. Kirk accuses Broadway Bank (the shuttered institution run by Giannoulias' family) of giving a loan to an Iraqi businessman connected to Saddam Hussein, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Kirk said that in 2006, Broadway Bank loaned $22.75 million to Nadhmi Auchi and Tony Rezko, the Chicago real estate developer convicted of fraud and money laundering in 2008. Giannoulias' campaign responded that he left the bank a few months before the loan was approved. "Come on, again, that's political smokescreens,...

EXCERPT That feeling is heightened by speculation that Fitzgerald, the longest-serving U.S. attorney in Chicago history, may have stayed in his post largely to shepherd the Blagojevich case. And no matter what the jury decides, the trial's end is almost certain to rekindle interest in the top prosecutor's possible next move, a popular parlor game in local legal and political circles. Many have wondered in recent years whether Fitzgerald's Chicago tenure was winding down and if he would seek a higher post within the Justice Department or forge a career in private practice. Shortly after President Obama took office, there...

The Corruption Trial of Rod Blagojevich was supposed to be Explosive – What happened? Ever since impeached Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested on December 9th, 2008 he has not only maintained his innocence but insisted repeatedly that he would expose the truth on the stand. After the prosecution rested its case weeks earlier than expected, Blagojevich's defense team rested after only two days – and without the testimony of the defendant who assured the public it would hear his story. Many expected the defense to call well known figures such as: Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, Harry Reid, Dick Durbin,...

It’s a wild political climate out there. In keeping with the blistering heat afflicting previously ultra-safe incumbents, a happily retired Queens businessman by the name of Bob Turner thinks he can unseat his Democratic congressman, six-term representative Anthony Weiner. It’s a long shot, but crazier things have happened. Just ask Sen. Scott Brown. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -...

May 29, 2008 By Andrew Walden (Hawai'i Free Press) Nadhmi Auchi, seen here with the Governor of Illinois, Rob Blagojevich (middle) at a 2004 Chicago dinner in Auchi's honor arranged by Antonin Rezko (potentially, right)[1]. All three men have been convicted of corruption related charges (Auchi 2003, Rezko 2008, Blagojevich 2009).[2] “A British-Iraqi billionaire lent millions of dollars to Barack Obama's fundraiser (dual US-Syrian citizen Tony Rezko) just weeks before an imprudent land deal that has returned to haunt the presidential contender, an investigation by The Times discloses. The money transfer raises the question of whether funds from Nadhmi Auchi,...