CHICAGO — A second trial for Rod R. Blagojevich, the ousted governor of Illinois, is expected to start in January, but he will no longer be tried alongside his older brother.
Prosecutors dropped charges against his brother, Robert Blagojevich, on Thursday because, they said, he had less of a role in the federal corruption case. Robert Blagojevich, a Tennessee businessman who moved to Chicago in 2008 to handle fundraising for his brother, had been charged with four criminal counts, including attempted extortion and bribery conspiracy.
The surprise announcement came during the first hearing in the case since the corruption trial ended last week with the jury finding the former governor guilty on one count of making false statements to the F.B.I. The jurors were deadlocked on 23 other counts.
Full story: Blagojevich Retrial Set for January – NYTimes.com