Jury finds Blagojevich guilty of lying to agents

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal jury found former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich guilty today of one count of lying to federal agents, and the judge said he intends to declare a mistrial on the remaining 23 counts.

Rod Blagojevich showed no emotion as the verdict was read, neither smiling nor grimacing.

Prosecutors said immediately that they intend to retry the case against Blagojevich and his co-defendant brother, Robert Blagojevich, as soon as possible. The charges had included the accusation that they had tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama's old Senate seat.

Judge James B. Zagel set a hearing for Aug. 26 to decide manner and timing of their retrial.

The verdict came on the 14th day of deliberations. The count on which Blagojevich was found guilty included accusations that he lied to federal agents when he said he did not track campaign contributions and kept a "firewall" between political campaigns and government work. It carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.