Top Political Jailbirds

March 11, 2013 -- intro: Corruption has plagued the world politics throughout history, and the United States is no exception. We take a look at five infamous politicians -- by no means an exhaustive list -- who were convicted of federal crimes and sentenced to time behind bars.

quicklist:1title: Kwame Kilpatricktext: Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick was convicted March 11 on corruption charges, including racketeering conspiracy. The punishment could mean a maximum of 20 years behind bars for Kilpatrick.

Prosecutors during the trial said that Kilpatrick took bribes and administered a "private profit machine" from Detroit's City Hall.

Kilpatrick has declined to testify throughout his trial and has denied any wrongdoing.

Kilpatrick was elected to Detroit mayor in 2001 but resigned in 2008 following an affair with his chief of staff.

He previously spent 14 months in prison for a different case in which he pled guilty to obstruction of justice in the aftermath of his affair. Kilpatrick was convicted after a judge said he failed to report assets that could be put toward his $1 million restitution to Detroit.

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quicklist:2title:Jesse Jackson Jr.text:Jesse Jackson Jr. pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in February 2013. The former Congressman was tried and convicted for his use of $750,000 in campaign funds for personal items, which included a Rolex watch and various celebrity memorabilia.

"I used money I shouldn't have used for personal purposes," Jackson tearfully told the court.

Jackson will be sentenced to prison on June 28, 2013 with and is expected to serve a sentence lasting anywhere from 46 to 57 months. Additionally, he will be required to pay penalties totaling between $10,000 and $100,000.

Jackson's father, civil rights leader Jesse Jackson and other Jackson family members were in attendance when he received his sentence.

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quicklist:3title: The Governors of Illinoistext: Illinois is a hotbed of political scandal. Of the state's last eight former governors, four of them have gone to prison on corruption charges.

Otto Kerner served two terms as governor of Illinois from 1960 to 1968 and later became a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. After leaving office, Kerner was indicted in 1971 on bribery charges after a discovery that he illegally profited from horse race track stock deals. He was convicted of bribery, conspiracy, tax evasion and perjury and sentenced to three years in federal prison. Kerner was released early when it was determined that he was suffering from terminal cancer.

Dan Walker served as governor between 1973 and 1977. In 1987, he was convicted as a businessman in a savings-and-loan fraud case. After pleading guilty to bank fraud and corruption charges, Walker was sentenced to seven years in federal prison and served 18 months. In January 2001, he requested a pardon from President Bill Clinton, who denied the request.

George Ryan, governor of Illinois from 1999 to 2003, is currently in prison after being convicted of corruption charges in 2006. A jury found Ryan guilty of 22 counts of fraud, racketeering, bribery, extortion and money laundering. He was also charged with lying to investigators and accepting gifts in return for actions once he took office.

In June 2011, a federal jury found former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich guilty of 17 counts of corruption, including his attempt to sell the U.S. Senate seat Barack Obama vacated when he was elected president in 2008. Before his trial, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to impeach Blagojevich for corruption and misconduct whole holding office. He was removed from office in 2009 in a unanimous vote, and was also banned for life from holding public office in the state of Illinois. Blagojevich could serve 10 years in prison, but he has not yet been sentenced. media: 14914689related: 13940088~13943882~14821814

quicklist:4title: Duke Cunninghamtext: Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., resigned from Congress in 2005 after pleading guilty to taking more than $2 million in bribes and under-reporting his income. He also pled guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion. Among the bribes Cunningham received were the free use of a yacht (the "Duke-Stir"), a Rolls-Royce, Persian carpets and a $2,000 contribution to his daughter's college graduation party.

Cunningham even priced the illegal services he provided, providing contractors with a "bribe menu" detailing how much it would cost to order multimillion-dollar government contracts, according to documents submitted by prosecutors during the hearing. He was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison and is scheduled to be released from the U.S. Penitentiary at Tuscson, Ariz., in June 2013.media: 14914719related: 1667009~3395696