Bob McDonnell, Wife Found Guilty: ‘This Is A Sad Day For Virginia’


Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen were found guilty of corruption charges on Thursday by a federal jury after a five-week-long trial.

According to a report from Reuters, Bob McDonnell was convicted of 11 of the 14 charges. Maureen was found guilty of nine of those charges, including obstruction of justice.

The couple faces fines of at least $250,000 per conviction and up to 20 years in prison. U.S. District Judge James Spencer is slated to conduct the sentencing on January 6, 2015. McDonnell’s defense attorney, Henry Asbil, said that there are plans to appeal the verdict.

Bob McDonnell and his wife were both charged with receiving more than $177,000 worth of gifts and loans from Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams Sr. as favors for promoting the company’s dietary supplement, Anatabloc, according to a report from ABC News. Some of the gifts included a Rolex watch for McDonnell that had “71st Governor of Virginia” inscribed on the back, a $10,000 wedding gift for one of his daughters and $15,000 worth of catering for another daughter’s wedding.

Reportedly, the couple was not living together during the trial and their relationship was described as “estranged.” During the trial, the jury heard details of the couple’s troubled marriage including a letter Bob McDonnell wrote to Maureen – to which she did not respond – that read “I am lonely sometimes.”

After the verdict had been delivered, Bob McDonnell and Maureen both cried with their family members. They left the courtroom separately and refused to speak to reporters.

A one-time potential running mate for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, Bob McDonnell became the first governor from the state of Virginia to be charged with a crime. He is also now the first governor from the state to be convicted of a crime.

U.S. Senator Mark Warner posted a statement on his Facebook and Twitter pages, urging the people of Virginia to “keep the McDonnell family in their prayers.”

Terry McAuliffe, the current governor of Virginia, said in a statement that he and his wife Dorothy will “continue to pray for the McDonnell family and for everyone who was affected by this trial.”

“I am deeply saddened by the events of the trial that ended in today’s verdict, and the impact it has had on our Commonwealth’s reputation for honesty and clean government,” McAuliffe wrote.

[Image credited to Alexa Welch Edlund via Richmond Times-Dispatch]

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