CHICAGO _ In more than four years behind bars, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has become known simply as "The Gov."
Serving a 14-year term for sweeping corruption charges, Blagojevich keeps busy in the Littleton, Colo., prison by exercising incessantly, working in the law library and teaching history to inmates seeking their high school equivalency diplomas, according to a court filing by his lawyers late Monday.
He formed a prison band called "The Jailhouse Rockers" that played at a GED graduation ceremony and a Fourth of July celebration a few years ago before taking a hiatus because their lead guitarist was released. He reads late into the night, watches football on TV and talks about his beloved Cubs. In March, Blagojevich gave an inspirational speech in the prison chapel about never giving up in the face of adversity that still has his fellow inmates talking.
"He spoke of Franklin Roosevelt and keeping faith, overcoming fear and never giving up," one 27-year-old inmate wrote in one of more than 100 letters of support included in the defense filing. "That was something that will stick with me for the rest of my life."
The portrait of Blagojevich's life as federal inmate No. 40892-424 emerged Tuesday as his attorneys argued he should get as little as five years in prison when he is resentenced next month, a move that would see him released from custody almost immediately.
Federal prosectors, however, asked U.S. District Judge James Zagel to reinstate his original 14-year sentence, writing in a filing posted one minute before the midnight deadline that public corruption must be deterred or it will continue to spread.
"Public officials who gain from corrupt deals are incentivized to do more, and successes inspire other public officials to see if they can do it too," federal prosecutors wrote.
Blagojevich, 59, was convicted in 2011 of misusing his powers as governor in an array of wrongdoing, most famously for his alleged attempts to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama after his 2008 election as president. He has been incarcerated in a federal prison in suburban Denver since March 2012 and is not scheduled to be released until May 2024, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.
A federal appeals court last year dismissed several counts against the former governor and ordered he be resentenced, but the three-judge panel called the evidence against him "overwhelming" and made it clear Zagel's original sentence was not out of bounds. In March, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Blagojevich's appeal.
Blagojevich is scheduled to be resentenced Aug. 9. While Zagel could simply let his original sentence stand, many legal experts believe the judge will recognize the dismissal of some of the counts by shaving off some time.
Blagojevich's lawyer, Leonard Goodman, has said he hoped Zagel would recognize that the 7th Circuit had dismissed some of the charges that specifically dealt with Blagojevich's attempt to trade the Senate seat for a Cabinet post or other benefit for himself.
"These charges were the centerpiece of the case, the ones that would have Abraham Lincoln rolling over in his grave," said Goodman, paraphrasing the words of then-U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald after Blagojevich was hit with the bombshell charges in 2008 while still in office.
Blagojevich's activities behind bars could become a focal point of his resentencing. As part of his filing Monday, Goodman included letters from dozens of inmates in the Littleton prison camp � their names blacked out _ describing Blagojevich as kind, a mentor and a man with the utmost respect for the law.
"To forgive and not hold resentment is not an easy thing to do," wrote one inmate, identified by his initials F.H. "Rod has taught me that it only harms myself to be bitter about my circumstance. He has taught me that the 'wheels of justice' do turn, even at times if justice seems slow in coming."
The inmates' letters describe Blagojevich as devoid of ego _ a depiction that many Illinois voters would find difficult to reconcile with the brash, cocky politician who thumbed his nose at federal prosecutors after his stunning indictment.
One inmate wrote that Blagojevich is teased for having holes in his workout T-shirts. Another man, serving 14 years for distribution of methamphetamine, said the ex-governor "never made any of us that sold drugs feel like he was better than us."
"I will always remember the joke he made when he got a math question wrong and told the class, 'Well, you guys should take note of this and be encouraged. If I could be governor, some of you guys could be president,'" the 67-year-old inmate wrote.
In 2013, Blagojevich and another inmate � identified only as Ernie B. � formed "The Jailhouse Rockers." During several events at the prison, Blagojevich sang Elvis Presley songs and acted as stage manager, according to the defense filing.
"After these performances, Ernie was released and the Rockers had to break up," Goodman wrote in the filing.
The defense also submitted a letter from U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a longtime Blagojevich friend and supporter who urged Zagel to allow Blagojevich to be reunited with his family "at the earliest time possible."
"l take very seriously the role of public servant and elected official, and it's true that Rod did not always measure up, but he also did much good for many people in our state," Schakowsky wrote in the letter dated last week.
In his 22-page memo asking for a sentencing reduction in light of the appeals court throwing out seven counts of conviction, Goodman said Blagojevich's case can no longer be viewed as a scheme to obtain personal benefits.
"The crimes for which Blagojevich stands convicted and on which he is now being sentenced all relate exclusively to his attempts to raise funds for his political campaign," Goodman wrote. "His crimes can no longer be portrayed as selfish or greedy. Instead they are crimes of an overly zealous politician seeking to advance his political goals."
Prosecutors, however, said in their 15-page filing that Blagojevich deserved every bit of the 14 years because he "acted corruptly, repeatedly, and in utter disregard of the trust Illinois voters had placed in him."
The prosecution's filing noted that Blagojevich had run for governor in 2002 on a platform of restoring integrity to the office as a federal investigation into pay-to-pay politics was consuming then-Gov. George Ryan's term in office. In reality,Blagojevich took corruption to a whole new level, they said.
"Corruption erodes the faith of people in their government," prosecutors wrote. "Without that faith � and engagement � of the people, our government cannot stand."
