After six weeks, the prosecution has finally closed its case against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. The former governor was charged with corruption on suspicion of trying to sell the US Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
Prosecutors finished up with a testimony by Patrick Magoon, CEO of Children's Memorial Hospital. He said that less than a week after then-Governor Rod Blagojevich pledged $10 million in state funds for the hospital, his brother called and asked him for a $25,000 campaign donation:
"I felt threatened; I felt at risk, and I felt a little angry. But what caused me the greatest concern was that the governor had the sole power... I felt the commitment could be rescinded."
Sam Adam Jr., one of Rod Blagojevich's Chicago criminal defense attorneys, asked Patrick Magoon if he contacted the governor after Robert Blagojevich called about the donation to ask if it was conditional. He answered, "No." Then Robert Blagojevich's lawyer, Michael Ettinger, asked him if he was threatened, to which he answered, "No."
Curiously, especially since Rod Blagojevich always seemed to take the opportunity to publicly discuss his support for child's health care, Patrick Magoon testified that the governor said he needed to keep the hospital funding pledge private.
The hospital finally received the promised money more than one month after the disgraced governor was arrested.
Lobbyist and former Rod Blagojevich fund-raiser John Wyma, testifying on condition of immunity, said he sat in on a meeting where the governor allegedly discussed demanding a campaign contribution before he would fund the hospital. He eventually withdrew from the governor's team:
"It made me uncomfortable."
He also testified that the former governor planned to withhold a multi-billion road improvement project unless a road-building executive contributed $50,000 to his campaign.
Related Resources:
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Rod Blagojevich Trial: Featured Courtroom Documents (Chicago Tribune)
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Contact a Chicago Criminal Attorney (FindLaw)
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Corruption Trial Underway for Former IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich (FindLaw's Blotter Blog)
