Chicago Tribune: “In a case of only-in-Chicago political timing, the White House announced Monday it would honor Ald. Joe Moore as a ‘pioneer for political reform,’ the same day the veteran City Council member revealed he has spoken to FBI agents about allegations he improperly paid two aides he fired.”

Lawyers for disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) filed a long-awaited appeal of his conviction and 14-year sentence late last night, arguing that U.S. District Judge James Zagel’s “one-sided evidentiary rulings” favored prosecutors and that the stiff sentence he imposed was based on vague and speculative evidence, the Chicago Tribune reports.

“Federal prosecutors asked a judge today to let the government seize the homes of former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and his wife, Sandi, in Washington and Chicago, plus an IRA he has worth almost $80,000,” the Chicago Tribune reports.

Federal authorities are asking Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell’s (R) associates “about previously undisclosed gifts given by a campaign donor to McDonnell’s wife that total tens of thousands of dollars and include money and expensive designer clothing,” the Washington Post reports.

“The questions are part of broad federal and state investigations into gifts to the governor and his family and whether McDonnell took official action on behalf of anyone who gave gifts.”

Montreal Mayor Michael Applebaum was arrested and faces 14 charges, including fraud, breach of trust, conspiracy and corruption in municipal affairs, the Montreal Gazette reports.

U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said the string of corruption arrests in New York State is far from over, noting that “more public corruption cases can be expected to emerge due to the “pervasive” nature of the problem in the state,” Politicker reports.

Said Bharara: “We investigate cases very aggressively, and we are going to continue to do that, whether the legislature is in session or not. You can expect more cases to come, because there is a lot more corruption that has not yet been brought to light.”

Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) “wants to serve his time first if he and wife Sandi are sent to prison,” Lynn Sweet reports.

In asking to go to prison first, lawyers said, “Mr. Jackson’s health issues preclude him from working at this time. If he serves his period of incarceration first, Mrs. Jackson would be able to work and could stabilize the family’s finances. By the time Mr. Jackson completes his sentence, the family would not be in the significant financial peril it is in today. ….the strain of waiting to begin serving his sentence would not be beneficial to Mr. Jackson’s state of mind or mental health.”

A federal jury convicted former Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) “on more than a half dozen corruption charges accusing him of using his office for personal financial gain and looting a family insurance business to help pay for his 2002 campaign,” the Washington Post reports.

Federal prosecutors are seeking a four-year prison sentence for former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), who has pleaded guilty to illegally diverting hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to personal use, Politico reports.

“Under the Justice Department recommendations, Jackson would have to forfeit the $750,000 he stole from his campaign, and pay back another $750,000 to his reelection committee.”

The Chicago Tribune notes Jackson’s wife Sandi would be sentenced to 18 months in prison and that she would serve her sentence first to spare their children having both parents in prison at the same time.

“In about a week’s time, federal prison inmate 94405-198 will complete a 100-month sentence for taking bribes and no longer be in the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham will, once again, be a free man,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

“He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion in 2005 and was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns. Cunningham admitted taking at least $2.4 million in bribes from defense contractors and in return used his influence as a congressman to steer lucrative government contracts to the companies. He resigned his seat from Congress, which he had held since 1991, before being sentenced.”

Former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff (R) offered businessman Darl McBride $2 million to persuade him to ditch an effort to get his money back from a failed investment, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

“McBride recorded the conversation and has turned over a copy to federal agents, part of a wide-ranging investigation into alleged misconduct in the attorney general’s office under Shurtleff and his successor, John Swallow.”

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe (D) said State Treasurer Martha Shoffner (D) “ought to resign after she allegedly took cash from a broker who managed state funds,” KTBS-TV reports.

But Shoffner said she doesn’t intend to resign.

“Federal prosecutors say Shoffner accepted $12,000 a year from a broker who would sometimes deliver cash in a pie box — with a pie. The broker is cooperating with investigators.”

Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner (D) has been arrested for extortion by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the AP reports.

A sentencing document for New York State Senator Shirley Huntley (D) details her cooperation with federal authorities in the wake of her arrest in a bribery scheme and shows at least nine officials and staffers were caught in her wiretaps, Politicker reports.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says that “eight of these nine individuals remain the subjects of ongoing criminal investigations.”

The New York Observer highlights the best part out of the complaint filed against New York State Sen. John Sampson (D), who was arrested today:

“At the conclusion of the interview, agents advised the defendant John Sampson that he had lied to federal agents, which constituted a federal crime. After being asked whether he wished to revise his statement, Sampson stated, ‘Not everything I told you was false.'”

BuzzFeed: “in the past six years, members of the New York State Senate have been
about three times more likely than average Americans to run afoul of the
law. And majority leaders have been over ten times more likely.”

Former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll (R) claimed she “had no idea law enforcement was investigating a veterans charity accused of running illegal slot machine-style casinos until two agents walked into her office last month,” the AP reports.

“She was taking photos with people in her office on March 12 when she was told the agents wanted to speak to her. When the agents walked out about 20 minutes later, Gov. Rick Scott’s chief of staff was waiting outside her office. He told her Scott wanted her to resign. She immediately said yes and called her husband to let him know.”

New York Assemblyman Nelson Castro (D), “who wore a wire to help indict his colleague, Eric Stevenson, announced his resignation,” the New York Observer reports.

“Stepping down from office, in addition to cooperating with federal authorities, were steps he took in order to avoid prosecution himself.”

The Westchester Journal News notes Castro “has been working as an informant for investigators since July 2009.”