|
 Blagojevich, 55, asked last year if he could begin serving his
14-year sentence for corruption near Denver, and a judge made that
recommendation.
But U.S. prison officials have the final say and haven't confirmed
that's where he will go.
Blagojevich, who was ordered to report to prison on March 15, could
end up at a facility other than the one he requested, said his
attorney, Carolyn Gurland. But she said he would prefer that the
public not know his prison until he is behind bars.
"It's his desire to have dignity surrounding the process," she said.
"He wants to surrender without cameras in his face."
That's how it will happen if the U.S. Bureau of Prisons has its way.
There will be no public confirmation about where Blagojevich has
been imprisoned until he arrives safely at a facility, Bureau of
Prisons spokesman Chris Burke said Wednesday.
"After he arrives, we will verify it," he said, saying that was
standard policy with any prisoner -- celebrity or not.
A camera-shy Blagojevich slipping into prison would be a sharp
departure from the man who gladly ran to the limelight as governor
and then went on a media blitz in the months after his 2008 arrest.
[to top of second column] |
 Convicted felons often end up at the prison they request, especially
with a judge's recommendation. The Federal Correctional Institution Englewood -- the 75-year-old
prison Blagojevich prefers -- houses around 700 inmates within 40
acres, the facility's orientation guide says. It is encircled by a
high, double-security fence.
Once feted as Illinois' highest ranking state executive, Blagojevich
will have a strictly regimented life, no matter the prison. That
includes waking at dawn, working a menial eight-hour-a-day job and
submitting to constant head counts.
Gurland said she didn't think Blagojevich's wife, Patti, and their
two school-aged children would move from Chicago to be closer to the
former governor -- wherever he ends up.
[Associated
Press; By MICHAEL TARM]
Copyright 2012 The Associated
Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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