Report: Feds to freeze Blago campaign fund

CHICAGO, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Federal authorities plan to freeze Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's campaign fund, ending his ability to use that money for his legal bills, sources said.

The Friends of Blagojevich fund hasn't been frozen yet, but authorities sent a letter to "the Blagojevich camp" saying they intend to freeze the money, the Chicago Sun-Times cited sources as saying.

The letter alone will cripple the governor's ability to use the fund because of the possibility that prosecutors would later seize the money, the newspaper said.

Blagojevich had about $3.6 million in his campaign war chest June 30, the date of his latest campaign-finance report.

He has raised additional money since then, but that money might already have been spent on legal fees or other expenses, the Sun-Times said.

Blagojevich attorney Ed Genson was not immediately available for comment. The governor's spokesman, Lucio Guerrero, declined to comment.