Rod R. Blagojevich

Rod Blagojevich served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. He was arrested in December 2008 on federal corruption charges and subsequently impeached and removed from office — the first US governor removed by impeachment in more than two decades. Across two federal trials, he was convicted on 18 criminal counts including eight counts of wire fraud under color of official right, conspiracy and attempted extortion, three counts related to bribery solicitation, and making false statements to the FBI. The convictions covered multiple corruption schemes: most notoriously, attempting to sell the US Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama in exchange for personal gain — including a cabinet appointment, an ambassadorship, a union job, or campaign cash. He also attempted to extort the CEO of Children's Memorial Hospital, delaying a state Medicaid reimbursement increase for pediatric specialists until the hospital's leader made a $25,000 campaign contribution. In a separate scheme, he withheld approval of legislation beneficial to the horseracing industry until a track owner delivered on a $100,000 campaign pledge. Trump commuted his sentence in February 2020 (first term), releasing him from prison after approximately eight years. Trump granted him a full pardon in February 2025.