WASHINGTON: US federal authorities threw a 19-count indictment on corruption charges at former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, accusing him of a “wide-ranging scheme to deprive the people of Illinois of honest government.”

The charges included 11 counts of wire fraud, three counts of extortion, one count of racketeering and one count of lying to federal investigators in 2005.

The Chicago Sun-Times wrote: “If true, it’s a chilling tale of public corruption — even by Illinois standards.”

He and his closest advisers were indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday on a slew of corruption charges, including a conspiracy to get cash from President Obama’s former Senate seat — Blagojevich was secretly recorded talking with his brother about how to land campaign cash in an alleged scheme to sell Obama’s then-vacant Senate seat.

Blagojevich, 53, is also accused of lying to the federal authorities and using his gubernatorial powers to pressure a congressman to funnel money to his campaign, and was also charged with attempting to extort a children’s hospital, a race track executive and a highway contractor.

According to the 75-page, wide-ranging federal indictment returned on Thursday, Blagojevich, who won office by preaching reform and renewal, presided over a “criminal enterprise” during his six years as governor —- with the help of his older brother and others.

Now “Blago” could stand trial with his brother. He was arrested Dec. 9 but not indicted until Thursday.

“I’m saddened and hurt, but I am not surprised by the indictment,” Blagojevich said in a statement. Blago chose to vacation at Walt Disney World with his family this week, a choice which was turned into a source of ridicule by his detractors, who said he was still in “Fantasyland.”

“I am innocent. I now will fight in the courts to clear my name,” he said.

The indictment also states Blagojevich discussed trying to trade Obama’s former Senate seat for an appointment to Obama’s Cabinet or a highly paid position at a private foundation.

In addition to Blagojevich, the indictment lists Blagojevich’s brother Robert, 54, two former top Blagojevich aides and two businessmen as co-defendants.

Illinois’ senior Sen. Dick Durbin’s responded to the charges, telling reporters: “We can only hope the former governor will not view this indictment as a green light for another publicity tour. Rod Blagojevich deserves his day in court, but the people of Illinois deserve a break.”

But ‘Blago’ wasn’t the only member of his family to be indicted. Former Illinois First Lady Patricia Blagojevich, whose foul-mouthed diatribes are the object of comedy show scorn, was more closely implicated in her husband’s alleged corruption scheme Thursday by federal authorities who now say she took thousands in payoffs for real estate work she never did.

Patricia Blagojevich, who turns 44 next Thursday, was not charged along with her husband and five others, but the indictment provides new details on a lucrative real estate career unmasked over the last four years.

Federal authorities, armed with details provided by his former confidants, now allege Patricia Blagojevich accepted more than $150,000 in real estate fees-including $54,396 in commissions she didn’t earn-from a convicted real estate mogul involved in her husband’s long-standing scheme to sell his office.