The former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison in federal court in Chicago and afterward quoted Rudyard Kipling:  “…if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same…”  He vowed to fight and not let the next 12+ years in prison get him down.

Give me a break!!

Although I’ve never defended a governor, I have worked for over 30 years defending people accused of fraud and other crimes, like Mr. Blagojevich.  From the start when he was startled to be arrested and said the the agents, “Is this a joke?” Mr. Blagojevich has displayed all the typical attitudes of any common criminal.  What are they?

(Not Rod Blagojevich!!)

1.  Arrogance.  Most sophisticated, white collar criminals never believe they’ll be caught.  They think they’re too clever for government agents or police and since they are good at conning other people, the last resort for these criminals is to think they can successfully con the authorities or a jury.  Until his sentencing, when he pleaded for mercy, Mr. Blagojevich has never admitted his crimes or said he was sorry.  Arrogance all the way until he wanted mercy.

2.  Narcissism.  I’d say that over 90% of criminals I’ve represented of all types, white collar and violent, have been supremely narcissistic.  They are incapable of seeing anything outside of their own perspective.  That’s why they can cheat and steal from people without feeling sorry because they are incapable of feeling anything from another person’s perspective.  Mr. Blagojevich, through out the entire three year spectacle of his case, always talked about how he’d been deceived or cheated by others.

3.  Denial.  Even if a criminal recognizes what he’s done, over time they tend to find reasons to mitigate or excuse their guilt.  I suppose we all try to do that when we’re caught doing something wrong, but criminals go further.  They began to believe they couldn’t have committed the crime because only a bad person would do such a horrible act.  And, being narcissistic, they don’t consider themselves bad.  Mr. Blagojevich testified in his trial and denied everything.  However, the trial judge decided that Mr. Blagojevich had simply lied and was responsible for the crimes.  He couldn’t blame others.

4.  Illusion.  Criminals began to think they are better than the rest of us.  Therefore, they deserve more and since the rest of us are simply stupid sheep, if the criminal grabs for something, he’s just being clever and more successful.

So when Mr. Blagojevich pulls the words of Rudyard Kipling around him like a protective blanket and puts the blame for his troubles on someone or something other than himself, he’s wrong.  Certainly, he and his family will suffer.  The key is that Mr. Blagojevich brought it on himself and for the suffering and misery he’s created, he deserves the time in prison.