SPRINGFIELD, IL…Today U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald filed an indictment of former Democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich and others on corruption charges. Blagojevich was previously removed from office based on a long list of impeachable offenses including abuse of power and federal corruption charges, most notably the Governor’s attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

The 19-count indictment returned today by a federal grand jury includes 16 felony counts for Blagojevich, including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion conspiracy, attempted extortion and making false statements to federal agents.

State Representative Ed Sullivan (R-Mundelein) applauded the U.S. Attorney for filing the indictment against former Democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich.

“The removal from office and indictment of Rod Blagojevich based on overwhelming evidence has given us the opportunity to focus our full attention on the problems facing our state,” said Rep. Sullivan. “We didn’t let the door hit him on the way out. We’ve turned our attention to important issues like the economy, debt, and the need for a comprehensive capital plan. In addition, we can enact important ethics reforms through tougher laws that tackle the kind of corruption displayed by Blagojevich. The indictment moves us one step closer to being able to put the Blagojevich nightmare more fully behind us.”

A circle of Blagojevich’s closest aides and advisors were also charged as co-defendants in the indictment. They are: John Harris, (Blagojevich’s chief of staff); Alonzo Monk, (a lobbyist); Robert Blagojevich, (brother); Christopher Kelly, (a businessman and campaign fundraiser); William Cellini, Sr., (a businessman and campaign fundraiser).<–>