Blagojevich and his wife had expensive taste in clothes

Rod and Patti Blagojevich were awash in more than $200,000 in consumer debt when the former Illinois governor was arrested, after a lavish, six-year shopping spree on custom-tailored suits and other luxury clothing, a federal agent testified Thursday.

Blagojevich and his wife spent more than $400,000 on clothes, mainly for themselves and not their children, from 2002 through December 2008 when he was arrested, Internal Revenue Service agent Shari Schindler said at Blagojevich’s federal corruption trial.

“Sometimes they used credit cards to pay for other credit cards,” Schindler said.

Prosecutors are suggesting that the debts facing the impeached and removed governor and his wife could explain his alleged plan to get a Cabinet post or high-paying labor union or foundation job in exchange for filling the Senate seat that Barack Obama was leaving to become president.

Blagojevich, 53, has pleaded not guilty to scheming to receive a high-paying job or other financial benefit in exchange for the Senate seat. He also has pleaded not guilty to scheming to launch a racketeering operation in the governor’s office. If convicted, he could face up to $6 million in fines and a sentence of 415 years in prison, though he is sure to get much less time under federal guidelines.

The former governor and his wife spent more on clothing than they did on the mortgage for their Chicago home, Schindler testified.

Blagojevich dropped $205,706 alone with Oxxford, a tailor with a reputation for sewing high-end custom suits. On a single day in December 2006, Blagojevich charged $20,000 with the suit maker, his credit card records show.

Schindler noted that the expenditures over the six years Blagojevich was governor did not reflect any money spent on personal vehicles. Blagojevich and his family relied on state cars and drivers.

Schindler also said Blagojevich spent nothing out of his pocket for legal bills. Those expenses, associated with the mounting federal investigations into his administration, were covered by his campaign account.

Credit card statements entered into evidence show that Blagojevich or his wife on many occasions charged thousands of dollars at a time at high-end clothiers or shoe stores. They also later returned many of those items. In January 2005, for example, more than $12,000 worth of clothing was returned to Saks Fifth Avenue.

Several entries, Schindler said, show Blagojevich spent more than $10,000 in a day on suits. A basketweave tie from Saks cost $179.85. About the same time, she said, he spent $2,590 in a single store on shirts. A charge on Patti Blagojevich’s card showed a payment for furs of $3,800.