14 DAY TRIAL // Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is spending his time in prison teaching a Civil War class, and learning to play guitar, wife Patti reveals.
The popular politician has been convicted on 17 corruption charges in 2011, and one charge in 2010, 11 of those counts being linked to his time on the Illinois Senate, Chicago Tribune wrote at the time.
He is currently serving a 14-year sentence for conspiracy, wire fraud, giving bribes and incidents of attempted extortion following shakedowns for fundraising purposes.
According to My Fox Chicago, one year after her husband has gone to jail, former first lady of Illinois Patti Blagojevich continues to advocate his innocence. They await the result of his appeal, which is expected in about six months.
“I cannot call it the one year anniversary as the word anniversary implies celebration and all that we have been left with is an aching hole in our lives.
“What really gets him through is our visits and the faith that in the end this tremendous injustice will be righted,” she writes on Facebook.
Attorney Sheldon Sorosky describes how Blagojevich is holding a popular Civil War history class in front of a full classroom, as prisoners swarm to hear the former politician speak.
Wife Patti mentions him also teaching himself to play the guitar and doing a lot of running across on the prison track.
“At that institution you have Yankees and Rebels and it was a full house and they literally had to, it was the first time in the history of the institution, that they had a class that was closed,” Sorosky describes.
“He's the eternal optimist and he believes and I believe that he's gonna be vindicated on this and they're gonna send it back for a new trial and a new sentencing,” attorney Sam Adam Jr. notes.
“He's a model of courage. [...] The only thing he feels bad about, of course, obviously he misses his family terribly, no doubt about that,” adds Adam Sr., also representing Blagojevich.