Chicago ( CNN ) -- Former Illinois Gov . Rod Blagojevich arrived at a Colorado federal prison Thursday to begin serving a 14-year sentence on a corruption conviction , a spokesman for the Bureau of Prisons said . `` This is the hardest thing I 've ever had to do , '' he told a crowd of sign-wielding supporters outside his Chicago home Wednesday before reporting to prison . `` 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 serve his sentence at Federal Correctional Institution Englewood , southwest of Denver . `` Governor Blagojevich has always stood up and stood tall . He has n't hid . And he has truly enjoyed being out in public . He never considered 'sneaking ' out of Chicago and miss an opportunity to say goodbye , '' his spokesman Glenn Selig said earlier . `` It 's difficult to put into words the challenges he and his family now face . But he draws strength from the incredible support he continues to receive from the people of Illinois and beyond . '' 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 . Blagojevich also accused U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of hiding taped evidence that would prove his innocence during that news conference . `` I challenge Mr. Fitzgerald ... Why do n't you show up in court tomorrow and explain to everybody , explain to the whole world why you do n't want the tapes that you made played in court ? '' Blagojevich said to reporters at the time . `` I 'll be in court tomorrow . I hope you 're man enough to show up , '' he added , referring to Fitzgerald . Prosecutors said court-authorized wiretaps caught Blagojevich offering Obama 's Senate seat in exchange for personal gain , including a job with a nonprofit or union organization , corporate board posts for his wife , campaign contributions or a post in Obama 's administration . He expressed frustration , according to prosecutors , that Obama transition officials were `` not willing to give me anything except appreciation . '' `` I 've got this thing and it 's ( expletive ) golden , and , uh , uh , I 'm just not giving it up for ( expletive ) nothing . I 'm not gon na do it , '' prosecutors quoted Blagojevich as saying . Blagojevich also considered appointing himself to the post , mulling whether he might be better off being indicted as a senator rather than governor , and saying contacts he would make in the federal job would benefit him later , according to prosecutors . Aside from the charges of trying to sell the Senate seat , prosecutors also accused Blagojevich of using his position to obtain financial benefits for himself , his family and his campaign in exchange for jobs , contracts and appointments to state boards to supporters . They accused Blagojevich of accelerating the scheme in 2008 to accumulate funds before a new state ethics law would have limited his ability to raise money from people and companies that were doing business with the state . Despite months of professing his innocence in impromptu news conferences , on Twitter and even on Donald Trump 's show `` Celebrity Apprentice , '' the ousted Illinois governor did not take the stand in his own defense during his trial . CNN 's Rich Porter contributed to this report .
NEW : Former Illinois Gov . Rod Blagojevich arrives at a federal prison . He says goodbye to supporters in Chicago . On Thursday , he begins serving a 14-year sentence on a corruption conviction . The federal prison is southwest of Denver .