Blago to Judge: Sentence Me Now

By Chuck Sudo in News on Mar 9, 2011 2:12PM

We've written in previous posts regarding the Rod Blagojevich retrial that his attorney's strategy seems to be "throw it against a wall and see if it sticks," given all the pre-trial motions they've filed in recent weeks. But this latest motion is a doozy. Blagojevich's lawyers this morning filed a motion asking Judge James Zagel to cancel the retrial and sentence him immediately for the one count he was found guilty of (lying to federal officials) in his first trial.

The motion, Blago's camp claims, is prompted by financial woes. Even though the government is supposed to foot the bill for Blagojevich's attorneys this time around, the motion alleges that they haven't been paid so far, which puts a damper on their ability to defend their client. Another note about the motion: Blagojevich is still isn't conceding any guilt on any of the counts he was charged with, including the one on which he was convicted.

The charge of lying to federal officials carries a maximum sentence of five years.