Lawyers for disgraced former Illinois Blagojevich ask for mercy in sentencing

(Reuters) - Lawyers for disgraced former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich asked a federal judge on Tuesday to show mercy in sentencing him for his federal conviction on multiple corruption counts.
The lawyers said Blagojevich did not profit personally from his conduct and his family would be devastated if he is sentenced to a lengthy prison term.
In court filings, prosecutors said they seek 15 to 20 years for Blagojevich, convicted by a jury in June of trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by then president-elect Barack Obama for personal and financial gain, and for seeking jobs and campaign contributions in exchange for state action.
"He doesn't deserve mercy because he has a family," attorney Aaron Goldstein told the judge during an entire day of arguments from the defense. "His family deserves mercy."
Quoting from a letter Blagojevich's wife, Patti, sent the judge, Goldstein said: "The punishment he fears the most, the one that is most devastating, is that he would not see his daughters grow."
U.S. District Judge James B. Zagel, appearing at times impatient during three different defense lawyers' arguments, said Tuesday morning he will consider the financial benefits the former governor would have received from the Senate seat trade and other government actions if federal authorities hadn't arrested him before the deals went through.
"It was a price he put on it," Zagel said. "A price he expected to receive."
Zagel said just because Blagojevich did not get "money in his pocket" does not mean he should be spared punishment for the attempt to get campaign contributions in exchange for official actions.
"Failure to complete an offense doesn't lessen the defendant's culpability," Zagel said.
During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence showing Blagojevich sought $1.5 million in campaign contributions from supporters of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., in exchange for appointing him to the Senate seat, and that the then-governor sought a cabinet post or a high paying Washington job in exchange for appointing Obama's choice of Valerie Jarrett.
SHAKEDOWNS
He was also convicted of attempting to shake down the head of a children's hospital for campaign cash in exchange for authorizing an increase in doctor reimbursement fees, and for shaking down the head of Illinois racetracks in exchange for approving legislation favorable to the industry.
Going through each of the schemes for which Blagojevich was convicted, lead defense lawyer Sheldon Sorosky said none warranted a sentence of 15 to 20 years. The hospital reimbursements and the racetrack legislation were all approved and Blagojevich did not receive a dime, Sorosky said.
Federal authorities, who had been taping Blagojevich's conversations with aides, arrested him in December 2009, before he could complete the crime, prosecutors have argued.
More than 130 people filed into the ceremonial courtroom at the Federal Dirksen Building in Chicago to watch the start of the sentencing hearing, which will continue on Wednesday with the prosecution's presentation and finally a statement from Blagojevich himself before the judge hands down a sentence.
The defense tried to lessen any additional time Blagojevich could get under the federal sentencing rules for his attempts at profiting and for being in a leadership role in the corruption scheme, which involved some aides who pleaded guilty and cooperated with the government in exchange for leniency.
The lawyers said Blagojevich should not be treated harshly since he did not profit. And they said he was surrounded by experienced political players egging him on in his schemes.
They also described Blagojevich in another context -- that of a loving wife and father to two young girls.
Attorney Goldstein read from a letter his daughter, Amy, had written to the judge saying: "I will not be able to handle my father not being around. I need him to be here for my high school graduation. I need him if I don't get into college ... I'll need him if my heart gets broken."
Richard Kling, a clinical professor at Chicago Kent College of Law, said after court recessed that the challenge for Blagojevich on Wednesday when he addresses the judge will be to toe the line between admitting guilt and being sorry.
"If he comes in and admits he's guilty, he jeopardizes his appeal," Kling said. "And if he says he didn't do it, he will engender the wrath."
The flamboyant two-term Democrat was thrown out of office in 2009.
Blagojevich was tried twice -- first in August 2010, when he was convicted of one charge of lying to investigators and jurors deadlocked on 23 other counts. After a second trial this year, he was convicted of 17 of 20 counts.

Michael Vick injured in Eagles' 35-31 loss to the Falcons

ATLANTA -- Michael Vick wobbled off the field with an aching neck late in the third quarter, all done in his return to Atlanta as a starting quarterback.

This is Matt Ryan's city now, and he led the Falcons back with their former quarterback sitting in the locker room.

Ryan threw a career-high four touchdown passes, shaking off all the hoopla over Vick coming back to face his old team, and rallied Atlanta from a 10-point deficit for a 35-31 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

Two of Ryan's TD throws went to ageless tight end Tony Gonzalez, who went past Terrell Owens into the fifth spot on the NFL's career receiving list. Then, Ryan hooked up with Ovie Mughelli on a 1-yard score that brought Atlanta to 31-28 with just over 6 minutes remaining.

The Falcons (1-1) completed the comeback with Michael Turner breaking off a 61-yard run, then powering over from the 3 with 3:24 remaining. Turner finished with 114 yards on 21 carries.

"It was a wild one, for sure, but we hung in there," Ryan said. "I think everybody hung in there and kept making plays, kept battling. Credit to guys on both sides of the ball -- we never gave up."

Vick threw for a pair of touchdowns for the Eagles (1-1) but left with what coach Andy Reid later described as a concussion after getting spun by a Falcons rusher into Eagles lineman Todd Herremans. No. 7 staggered to the sideline and Mike Kafka came in for the first game of his two-year career.

Vince Young, normally the backup, was inactive because of a hamstring injury.

Kafka did a good job in a tough situation, guiding the Eagles down the field on a potentially winning drive in the closing minutes. But on fourth down from Atlanta's 22, Jeremy Maclin dropped a pass over the middle that would have kept it going.

The Falcons ran off all but the last 5 seconds, and Kafka's desperation heave into the end zone was batted down to end the game.

The buildup for the primetime contest was one of the biggest in years for a regular-season game in Atlanta. The Georgia Dome was packed and loud, many fans wearing Vick's old No. 7 jersey from his Falcons days but plenty more adorned in Ryan's No. 2.
In some ways, it seemed like a head-to-head matchup -- even though they were never on the field at the same time. Vick was the one-of-a-kind quarterback who put the Falcons on the NFL map before he was caught running a dogfighting operation, leading to a prison sentence of nearly two years.

Banished by the Falcons, he revitalized his career in Philadelphia and earned another $100 million contract. He had returned to Atlanta once before, as a backup in 2009, but this was different. The Eagles are his team, and he wanted to impress in front of his former city.

The results were mixed. Vick fumbled twice and threw an interception, and the Falcons turned two of those mistakes into touchdowns.

Still, he had seemingly done enough when he left the field. Kafka came on and handed off to LeSean McCoy, who scored his second touchdown on a 2-yard run with 1:59 left in the third quarter. McCoy ended with 95 yards on 18 carries.

But Ryan and the Falcons hung in there, even though the quarterback was sacked four more times after taking five in a 30-12 loss to Chicago opening the season.

"You just keep getting up," Ryan said. "There's a lot of tough guys on this football team and I try and stay in line with those guys and just keep bouncing up. I'm just glad we came away with the win."

Sunday Night Football: Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets

Dallas will begin its first full year under the direction of head coach Jason Garrett, taking over control of the team after the mid-year firing of Wade Phillips.  The Cowboys finished with a 5-3 record in his eight games and possesses plenty of offensive weapons that opposing head coach Rex Ryan is aware of.  “Start with tight end Jason Witten, he caught almost 100 balls or something last year,” commented Ryan.  “And then you have Dez Bryant, the young kid from here Miles Austin, they’re loaded.”  Quarterback Tony Romo is also back after missing the final 10 games of the 2010 campaign with a broken left clavicle.  Dallas is 7-3 ATS as an underdog the last two years.
The Cowboys entire season may hinge on the offensive line that will possess three new starters and has been challenged early by injuries.  Dallas will be dealing with one of the more ferocious defense units in the entire league and it’s a cause for concern.  Sunday’s meeting will be the 10th between the two teams, as the Cowboys are 7-2 in the previous nine contests, including a 34-3 win at Cowboy Stadium on Nov. 22, 2007.  It will be an emotional scene in the Big Apple with the game taking place on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
New York is hoping to go one further step this year after being knocked out in the AFC Championship Game in consecutive years.  The Jets bring back 18-of-22 players and third-year quarterback Mark Sanchez has led the team to 23 wins in his first two years.  A lot of the focus offensively from the media will be centered around the return of wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who will be playing in his first regular season game in 1,001 days and is no stranger to the New York scene.  He caught 505 passes for 7,845 yards and 55 touchdowns in 128 games while playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Giants.  New York is 8-8 ATS at home.
The Jets will be dealing with another storyline in the game with twin brothers Rex and Rob Ryan facing each other for the ninth time in their careers.  Good thing for the team is its head coach leads the series, 5-3, including a 26-20 win over Cleveland last year when Rob spent the season leading the Browns defense.  Expect a lot of running from the offense, as it finished fourth in the NFL, averaging 4.4 yards an attempt and gaining 148.4 yards a game last year.
Bettors will find that the Cowboys are 6-2 ATS in their last eight games, while the Jets are 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games as a home favorite of 3.5 to 10 points.