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CHICAGO - AP - Impeached and ousted Ill. Gov. Rod Blagojevich has been indicted on charges he engaged in a "wide-ranging scheme to deprive the people of Illinois of honest government."
   
A federal grand jury handed down the 19-count indictment against Blagojevich, his brother, two former aides and two businessmen Thursday. It accuses Blagojevich of corruption involving billions of dollars in state pension bonds.
   
FBI agents arrested the Chicago Democrat in December on allegations that also include trying to auction off President Barack Obama's vacant U.S. Senate seat.
   
Illinois lawmakers impeached him and threw him out of office in January.
   
Blagojevich has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
   
The former governor is not in Chicago; he's with his family at Walt Disney World in Florida. 

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Reaction from Illinois' elected officials and state residents to Thursday afternoon's federal indictment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich:

"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." - U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat.

"Most people I associate with who had any opinion about it, including myself, were irritated with the way he did things, the way he appeared to do things.  We pretty much cheered when he was arrested." - John Olsson, a 47-year-old farmer from New Berlin, just west of Springfield.  A Republican, he never voted for Blagojevich.

"It is reassuring to see that our justice system works, but there is no joy in this indictment. Rod Blagojevich has decimated our state. And regardless of what happens to the former governor, Illinois residents will be paying for his time in office for generations to come." - Judy Baar Topinka, the Republican gubernatorial candidate defeated by Blagojevich in 2006.

"I think if they make an example out of him, hopefully this curtails some of the corruption that's going on in our city and our state." - Bernie Puralewski, a 62-year-old Aurora resident who works as a manager at a Chicago hobby shop.

"As this case moves forward, perhaps now we can close this book and begin to write a new one that speaks to the breadth of who the people of Illinois are and what they seek in the people they send to public office - honesty, integrity, truthfulness, vision and leadership." - U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, Chicago Democrat.

"Rod Blagojevich was elected and then re-elected governor based on the promise that he would reform and renew state government, but his government was more like an overloaded, malfunctioning sewage system.  Now, it's up to the elected leaders in Springfield to respond to the demands of the citizens of Illinois and clean up this mess." - Cynthia Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform.

"Honestly, when I listened to him the very first time he ran, he really seemed like he does want to make a difference, that he's for the people of Illinois. The second time I said no way, he's a crook." - Linda Dowdy, a 59-year-old tavern manager from Belleville and lifelong Democrat on former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.