Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who tried to sell the appointment to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama in 2008, was sentenced Wednesday to 14 years in prison for corruption.

U.S. District Judge James Zagel also ordered Mr Blagojevich, 54, to pay $20,000 fine for his conviction in 17 of 20 counts of corruption, including bribery and attempted extortion. He was also convicted of lying to police.

The two-termer governor will be following the footsteps of predecessor, former Gov. George Ryan, who was sentenced in 2006 to 6-1/2 years in prison also for corruption and is serving time at the Terre Haute prison in Indiana.

In his verdict, Mr Zagel said Mr Blagojevich had torn and disfigured the fabric of Illinois for his actions.

Before the verdict was announced, Mr Blagojevich apologised to the judge, jurors, the public and his family for his wrongdoings and pleaded for a lighter sentence.

"I'm here convicted of crimes. The jury decided I was guilty. I am accepting of it. I acknowledge it, and I of course am unbelievably sorry for it," Chicago Tribune quoted him as saying.

But prosecutors led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Reid Schar warned that the former governor was "a habitual schemer."

Prosecutors pinned down Mr Blagojevich using wiretaps in which the former governor revealed he will seek campaign contributions or a higher-paying job from the one he will appoint as Mr Obama's replacement in the U.S. Senate after the latter won the presidency.

The Illinois Senate impeached and removed him from office in January 2009 and the FBI subsequently conducted an investigation.

During the initial phase of his trial, Mr Blagojevich insisted his actions were not illegal and pointed to his advisers as the one who gave him the idea.