Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich’s corruption trial moved on to closing arguments today, and a storage facility which has been holding a bunch of Blago’s stuff is moving on too. According to The Chicago Tribune, Boyer-Rosene Moving & Storage is planning to auction off several crates worth of Blagojevich’s belongings, because the former governor has fallen a year behind on his payments.
Paul Lombardo, CEO of Boyer-Rosene Moving & Storage, told the Tribune that Blagojevich owes an amount “in the thousands.” But Lombardo’s not trying to make a quick buck. Proceeds from the auction will go to Children’s Memorial Hospital — the same hospital that figures prominently in Blagojevich’s trial.
The flashiest item in the collection appears to be a life-size statue of Elvis (the inspiration of his famous impression?) But most of the storage units apparently contain files.
Lombardo said the 5-foot-by-7-foot storage units are nearly all filled.So what’s in there? Lombardo wouldn’t say except that they contain professional and personal effects and that Blagojevich would probably want them back.
“There’s just a lot of stuff,” he said, “largely boxes and records.”
Lombardo said he will either sell the ex-governor’s possessions one by one or unload the entire stash on one lucky bidder.
The auction is planned for August 14.
Read the rest here.
Eric Lach
Eric Lach is a reporter for TPM. From 2010 to 2011, he was a news writer in charge of the website’s front page. He has previously written for The Daily, NewYorker.com, GlobalPost and other publications. He can be reached at ericl(at)talkingpointsmemo.com
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