Rod Blagojevich Guilty on 1 Count, but Holdout Stymied Other Charges

ABC News reports that a single holdout juror was all that prevented former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's conviction on a charge that he conspired to trade or sell President Obama's vacated Senate seat, according to another juror in the case.

Juror Erik Sarnello, 21, of Itasca, Ill., told The Associated Press that a female holdout "just didn't see what we all saw" and kept the jury deadlocked at 11-1 on counts around the Senate seat seemed to be "the most obvious."

Both sides vowed to keep battling in court after the jury found Blagojevich guilty on a lesser charge of making false statements to the FBI but could not reach a verdict on 23 other counts, also including racketeering, bribery, and conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.

The conviction on making false statements to the FBI carries a maximum prison term of five years -- though the former governor is likely to serve a few months to a year in prison if nothing changes during the retrial of the case, a legal expert told ABC News.

After his conviction on the single count, Blagojevich continued to proclaim his innocence on all the charges outside a federal courthouse in Chicago.

"I did not lie to the FBI," Blagojevich said. "I've told the truth from the very beginning. ... This is a persecution."
Blagojevich showed no emotion as the verdict was read and later thanked the jury.

"This jury just showed you that notwithstanding the fact the government threw everything but the kitchen sink at me ... on every charge except one they could not prove that I did break any laws," Blagojevich said.
"I didn't break any laws," he added. "I didn't do anything wrong."
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