Blagojevich to begin 14-year prison term Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says goodbye to supporters in Chicago On Thursday, he begins serving a 14-year sentence on a corruption conviction He'll serve his sentence at a federal facility southwest of Denver Chicago (CNN) -- Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is scheduled to arrive at a Colorado federal prison Thursday to begin serving a 14-year sentence on a corruption conviction. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do," he told a crowd of sign-wielding supporters outside his Chicago home Wednesday. But this is the law and we follow the law. He was convicted of corruption in June 2011 after a jury returned 17 guilty verdicts against him. Among other allegations, he was accused of trying to profit as he considered whom to appoint to take Barack Obama's open Senate seat. Blagojevich called his impending prison stint a "dark and hard journey," and said he should have been more humble. "We are so grateful and will never ever forget your kindness to us," he told the crowd, which occasionally chanted slogans such as "Free our governor." His wife, Patti, remained cinched under his arm, squeezing back tears as the former governor spoke. "This, as bad as it is, is part of a long and hard journey that will only get worse before it gets better," Blagojevich said, telling his wife that he loved her. He'll service his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Englewood, southwest of Denver. Governor Blagojevich has always stood up and stood tall. He never considered 'sneaking' out of Chicago and miss an opportunity to say goodbye," his spokesman Glenn Selig said earlier. Blagojevich's past statements have been noteworthy for their bluster. In a defiant news conference in April 2010, he called his accusers "liars" and "cowards," and directly challenged a prosecutor. I challenge Mr. Fitzgerald ...