Disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is pushing to get his 14-year prison sentence reduced.
Blagojevich’s lawyers filed a brief Tuesday night arguing U.S. District Judge James Zagel failed to take his positive behavior into account during his re-sentencing trial in August, The Chicago Tribune first reported. Around 100 fellow inmates wrote letters detailing the good work he had done while serving time, the report noted.
“Defendant was required to be a prisoner and to perform certain jobs or chores. But there was no requirement that he provide service to and uplift his fellow inmates,” the brief reads. “Defendant could easily have stayed out of trouble in prison while keeping to himself and concerning himself solely with the interests of himself and his family. He chose a different course.”
If his appeal for another re-sentencing trial fails, the final option to shorten his time behind bars would a petition to the Supreme Court.
Blagojevich was convicted in 2011 on 18 counts in his corruption case, having been charged with attempting to sell President Barack Obama’s former Senate seat to raise funds.
The U.S. attorney’s office is slated to provide a response to the request in January.
If his current sentence remains in place, he will remain in prison until 2024.
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