Like most prisons, FCI Englewood is a collection of isolated societies. The black inmates sit together. Hispanics dine in another area. White-collar prisoners have their own corner. Sex offenders are shunned by nearly everyone. It was then that I realized they were white supremacists and politely declined their offer of protection.
Blagojevich tells me about one inmate he befriended at the low-security facility: Mr. Tall, thin, and black, with white hair, a white mustache, and a fatherly way about him, Mr. B reminded Blagojevich of Morgan Freeman. The inmate, who was in his late 60s, was on the last leg of a year sentence when the two men became close.
At night, before lights out, Blagojevich would stop by Mr. B for lunch at one of the tables designated for blacks. It turned out to be no big deal. No one really cared. No one complained. The days came and went, and I would sit with Mr. B every day at lunch. While governor, Blagojevich was notoriously fanatical about following his own press.
His staff would clip every story that mentioned him, and he would get irate if they missed one. The campaign was another story.
That October, seven months after Blagojevich arrived at FCI Englewood, the first presidential debate was held at the University of Denver, just 10 miles away. An inmate named Ernie, a professional musician who had gotten busted for smuggling drugs from Mexico, had been teaching Blagojevich to play the guitar. And when Obama got done with that debate, he was able to get on Air Force One and fly home and sleep that night in his bed in the White House.
I had to go back in my bunk and spend the night in the shithouse. It was almost more amusing to me than devastating. As for his guitar playing, Ernie thought Blagojevich would make a better frontman. He invited the ex-governor to join his band, the Jailhouse Rockers, on vocals. Blagojevich practiced every day. We did six songs.
Blagojevich largely avoids the TV rooms, where convicts like to gather. The Lincoln movie by Steven Spielberg, twice. I stumbled into the movie Ghost recently. I watch football—if the Bears play or the Dallas Cowboys play. They show the Cowboys here a lot.
Of course, the Super Bowl—I try to watch that. And when the Cubs are on. If you just wallow around and wander with no purpose, that would be almost impossible to deal with. Much of his day is devoted to reading, writing, and exercising.
He cracks open the Bible daily. Reread it. Understand it better. Something more than just marking time and getting through the years ahead. On and off for the past few years, Blagojevich has been doing some writing of his own: a series of inspirational essays. It helps focus my thinking and puts into perspective what my family and I have had to go through. For Blagojevich, a longtime avid runner recall that he was arrested and appeared in court in a blue jogging suit , exercise has taken on a new significance.
It clears your head. It gives you goals to have to work on. Finding the right running shoes, however, has been a challenge. Almost no personal property is allowed, so Blagojevich could not bring in his preferred brand. Selection in the commissary, not surprisingly, is limited. He tried a couple of pairs until he found one he could tolerate.
But when those shoes started to fall apart, he discovered the commissary had stopped stocking them. Blagojevich went around the prison looking for other inmates who had the shoes he liked in his size.
He finally located someone and traded new shoes for the used pair. Blagojevich tells me about a time he was lifting weights in the gym of the low-security facility. Two of his current roommates, both from Mexico, serve as his tutors.
I can say all kinds of things. Nobody seems to recognize her. Now 52, she looks strained and tired, and her eyes are weary and sad. Patti has stood by her husband since his arrest in December , his impeachment the following month, the two trials the first ended in a mostly hung jury and mistrial , and all the self-inflicted indignities of his wackadoodle publicity stunts, including getting fired by Donald Trump on The Celebrity Apprentice.
My kids are sad and anxious, like they have PTSD. During one of our calls, Blagojevich praises his wife for her poise and resolve in keeping the family functioning. Reconciling with her father was especially tough. Their once-close relationship was in tatters.
Mell had helped her husband win two elections: to the Illinois General Assembly in and to Congress four years later. But then things soured. Patti says she and her father fought viciously. It was bad. Thanks for nothing. But Mell has helped the family stay put. His stepping in was critical for the family. They had run aground financially. Prosecutors were investigating whether Patti, who worked at the time as a real estate broker, had received hundreds of thousands of dollars for deals she had little or nothing to do with.
An earlier Tribune report had found that more than three-quarters of her commissions came from clients with close political connections to or wanting to win favor from her husband. Still, the invitations stopped coming. Which is fine by her. Her daughters have felt the impact as well. They have to face the world knowing their father is a convicted criminal. The girls became accidental celebrities the day their father was arrested.
Amy was 12 and Annie was 5, still asleep when he was taken away in handcuffs. Their mother took them to school without telling them what had happened. They have struggled in the years since. Or the school assembly at Loyola Academy, where Amy had transferred to finish up high school. Of course she was so upset. Shortly after that, they had parent-teacher conferences. During our interviews, Patti receives multiple calls and texts from her daughters. After one of the texts, Patti places her cell phone on the table and frowns.
Annie, in particular, experienced separation anxiety the first year her father was gone. But I also know that the phone calls, emails, and visits can only go so far. The institution allots Blagojevich minutes a month, and all calls, other than to his lawyer, are monitored. Thanks to our sponsors:.
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