EVERYONE who follows politics knew they were guilty, the question was whether the government prosecuters would prove it to the jury and if the jury would have the courage to find the mcdonalds guilty once presented the facts. Now to see if the judge has the courage to really sentence them for their crimes. From +NPR and the +Washington Post .....
Updated at 3:38 p.m. ET
A federal jury in Richmond, Va., has found former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell guilty on 11 of 14 charges in his corruption trial. His wife, Maureen, was found guilty on nine of 14 charges, including obstruction of justice.
Our partners at member station WAMU report that the McDonnells were found guilty "of conspiracy to commit honest-services wire fraud for accepting gifts and loans from Jonnie Williams," the owner of Star Scientific, a nutritional supplement company.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the McDonnells sobbed openly, but quietly as the verdicts were read. Their family members and supporters also wept, the newspaper reported. It added that the verdict was likely to be appealed.
The jury of seven men and five women heard testimony from 67 witnesses and deliberated over three days before arriving at today's decision. Sentencing has been set for Jan. 6, 2015.
The trial has been a humiliating blow for the onetime rising GOP star who was elected governor in 2009 and just a few years ago was considered a possible running mate for Mitt Romney.
Shortly after he left office in January, McDonnell and his wife were accused of taking more than $165,000 worth of gifts and loans from Williams.
Attorneys for the McDonnells argued that as a result of the couple's disintegrating marriage, Maureen McDonnell craved attention and developed a crush on the Star Scientific owner, who testified that the couple accepted and solicited gifts from him.
"Well, the former governor, when he ran for governor, represented
his family as essentially the Cleavers — bustling and wholesome," Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Jeff Schapiro told All Things Considered.
"And five years later, now running for his life, his lawyers are
depicting the McDonnells as the Louds — bitter and dysfunctional."
On the day he was indicted, Bob McDonnell told reporters, "I have apologized for my poor judgment, and I accept full responsibility for accepting these legal gifts and loans. However, I repeat again, emphatically, that I did nothing illegal for Mr. Williams in exchange for what I believe was his personal friendship and his generosity."
McDonnell said the loans had been "repaid with interest" and the gifts had been returned. He also has said that despite appearances of impropriety, there was no quid pro quo — that part of the role of governor is to support the state's businesses.
And Schapiro said there's some truth that this could be considered business as usual in Virginia.
"One wonders, given Virginia's long tradition of a business-friendly government, if perhaps some of these things took place and no one really noticed," Schapiro said. "Because for a long time, Virginia's government, like so many Southern governments, was controlled by a handful of like-minded conservative white guys. They looked out for business; business financed the political organization; the legislator came through with friendly laws and light regulation. This has been the pattern in the commonwealth for a long, long time."
McDonnell's status as a GOP luminary was cemented when he was chosen to deliver the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union speech in 2010.
But the corruption scandal that erupted in McDonnell's final months as governor killed what was left of his political career, says Virginia politics expert Larry Sabato.
Jurors in the public corruption trial of former Virginia governor
Robert F. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, have reached a verdict. The
McDonnells are facing a 14-count indictment that
alleges that they lent the prestige of the governor’s office to a
Richmond area businessman and that, in exchange, the businessman
lavished them with gifts and money.
Quiz: 10 questions | Interactive: McDonnell gifts list | Bob vs. Jonnie | Twitter: Latest | Previous days: The trial | Indictment
“I’m obviously very disappointed,” he said. “We will appeal.”
Maureen said nothing as she was whisked out amid a huge media crowd.
But Robert, who was surrounded by the media scrum, thanked reporters “for the way you’ve handled this.”
“All I can say is my trust belongs in the Lord,” Robert McDonnell said before he ducked into his car.
Just before Robert McDonnell got in his car, a spectator shouted, “We still love you!”
Jurors were swept out a back door and declined to comment. One juror said, “I just want to go home,” according to the Associated Press.
Spencer asked the former governor and his wife to sit, then mildly asked the lawyers in the case if they were available for a Jan. 6 sentencing hearing. All said they were.
“We’ll get started at 10 o’clock,” Spencer said.
Spencer then asked the McDonnells to stand again and explained what will happen next. Before their sentencing, he said, someone from the probation office would reach out to discuss the case and various aspects of their background which might affect the sentence they will receive. He said if they choose to participate in the process, they could have their lawyers present. At the end of it, he said, a report would be generated.
“That completes this matter,” he said. “We’ll take a break and get back into the civil case.”
“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 (D) said. “Dorothy and I will continue to pray for the McDonnell family and for everyone who was affected by this trial.”
Maureen McDonnell seemed to cry, too, though with her back to the courtroom, her tears were less obvious. In the wooden bench directly behind her, daughter Cailin McDonnell Young hunched forward and sobbed, her husband, Chris Young, hugging her as she did so.
As the eighth guilty count was read, Bob McDonnell buried his face in his hands. By the end, he was slumped in his chair, still crying.
The former governor did not look up as jurors each answered “yes” in turn to affirm their verdict. One juror appeared to be upset, and fidgeted in her seat.
Count 1: Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 2: Honest services wire fraud: $15,000 wedding check
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 3: Honest services wire fraud: MoBo $50,000
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 4: Honest services wire fraud: MoBo $20,000
Maureen G. McDonnell: Not guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 5: Conspiracy to obtain property under color of official right
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 6: Obtaining property under color of official right: $50,000 in 2011 to MGM
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 7: Obtaining property under color of official right: $15,000 wedding check
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 8: Obtaining property under color of official right: $2,380 Kinloch 5/29/2011
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 9: Obtaining property under color of official right: $1,424 Kinloch 1/7/2012
Maureen G. McDonnell: Not guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 10: Obtaining property under color of official right: $50,000 MoBo
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 11: Obtaining property under color of official right: $20,000 MoBo
Maureen G. McDonnell: Not guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 12: False statement to Townebank on 10/03/2012
Maureen G. McDonnell: N/A
Robert F. McDonnell: Not guilty
Count 13: False statement to PenFed on 02/01/2013
Maureen G. McDonnell: Not guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Not guilty
Count 14: Obstruction of an official proceeding
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: N/A
Robert McDonnell, who sobbed throughout the proceeding, walked out with his head down. Maureen McDonnell hugged a friend at length in the aisle of the court.
After three days of deliberations, the seven men and five women who heard weeks of gripping testimony about the McDonnells’ alleged misdeeds acquitted the couple of several charges pending against them — but nevertheless found that they lent the prestige of the governor’s office to Jonnie R. Williams Sr. in a nefarious exchange for his largesse.
The verdict means that Bob McDonnell, who was already the first governor in Virginia history to be charged with a crime, now holds an even more unwanted distinction: the first ever to be convicted of one.
He and his wife face decades in federal prison, although their actual sentence could fall well short of that.
Maureen McDonnell has been found guilty of eight corruption counts as well as obstruction of justice. She has also been found not guilty of falsifying loan documents.
The McDonnell family is sobbing in the courtroom.
The group was followed in quick succession by Maureen McDonnell and her entourage. She held hands with her daughters, stared straight ahead and said nothing.
— Jenna R. Portnoy
Here is an interactive depicting the gifts that the McDonnells received from businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr.
Some statistics about the case so far:
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell leaves the U.S. District
Court for the Eastern District of Virginia with his son Bobby (right) on
Thursday in Richmond, Va.
Alex Wong/Getty
A federal jury in Richmond, Va., has found former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell guilty on 11 of 14 charges in his corruption trial. His wife, Maureen, was found guilty on nine of 14 charges, including obstruction of justice.
Our partners at member station WAMU report that the McDonnells were found guilty "of conspiracy to commit honest-services wire fraud for accepting gifts and loans from Jonnie Williams," the owner of Star Scientific, a nutritional supplement company.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the McDonnells sobbed openly, but quietly as the verdicts were read. Their family members and supporters also wept, the newspaper reported. It added that the verdict was likely to be appealed.
The jury of seven men and five women heard testimony from 67 witnesses and deliberated over three days before arriving at today's decision. Sentencing has been set for Jan. 6, 2015.
The trial has been a humiliating blow for the onetime rising GOP star who was elected governor in 2009 and just a few years ago was considered a possible running mate for Mitt Romney.
Shortly after he left office in January, McDonnell and his wife were accused of taking more than $165,000 worth of gifts and loans from Williams.
Attorneys for the McDonnells argued that as a result of the couple's disintegrating marriage, Maureen McDonnell craved attention and developed a crush on the Star Scientific owner, who testified that the couple accepted and solicited gifts from him.
C-SPAN/YouTube
On the day he was indicted, Bob McDonnell told reporters, "I have apologized for my poor judgment, and I accept full responsibility for accepting these legal gifts and loans. However, I repeat again, emphatically, that I did nothing illegal for Mr. Williams in exchange for what I believe was his personal friendship and his generosity."
McDonnell said the loans had been "repaid with interest" and the gifts had been returned. He also has said that despite appearances of impropriety, there was no quid pro quo — that part of the role of governor is to support the state's businesses.
And Schapiro said there's some truth that this could be considered business as usual in Virginia.
"One wonders, given Virginia's long tradition of a business-friendly government, if perhaps some of these things took place and no one really noticed," Schapiro said. "Because for a long time, Virginia's government, like so many Southern governments, was controlled by a handful of like-minded conservative white guys. They looked out for business; business financed the political organization; the legislator came through with friendly laws and light regulation. This has been the pattern in the commonwealth for a long, long time."
McDonnell's status as a GOP luminary was cemented when he was chosen to deliver the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union speech in 2010.
But the corruption scandal that erupted in McDonnell's final months as governor killed what was left of his political career, says Virginia politics expert Larry Sabato.
 |
||
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| McDonnell found guilty on 11 corruption counts |
| Former
Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell has been found guilty of 11
corruption counts. He has been found not guilty of falsifying loan
documents. Maureen McDonnell has been found guilty of 8 corruption
counts as well as obstruction of justice. She has also been found not
guilty of falsifying loan documents. The McDonnell family was sobbing in the courtroom as verdicts were read. Follow our liveblog for the latest. |
Former
Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell walks to the courthouse in
Richmond on Wednesday. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)
Quiz: 10 questions | Interactive: McDonnell gifts list | Bob vs. Jonnie | Twitter: Latest | Previous days: The trial | Indictment
McDonnell attorney vows to appeal verdict
Surrounded by reporters as he left the courthouse, Robert McDonnell defense attorney Hank Asbill said he “didn’t expect” the verdict.“I’m obviously very disappointed,” he said. “We will appeal.”
McDonnells get into separate cars as they leave
Robert and Maureen McDonnell left the courthouse at the same time, getting into separate cars as they left.Maureen said nothing as she was whisked out amid a huge media crowd.
But Robert, who was surrounded by the media scrum, thanked reporters “for the way you’ve handled this.”
“All I can say is my trust belongs in the Lord,” Robert McDonnell said before he ducked into his car.
Just before Robert McDonnell got in his car, a spectator shouted, “We still love you!”
Jurors were swept out a back door and declined to comment. One juror said, “I just want to go home,” according to the Associated Press.
What comes next for the McDonnells
The verdict read, U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer calmly expressed his gratitude to jurors for their time and attention, saying, “I know it has been a difficult task, but I thank you for your sacrifice.” As the group walked out, Robert F. McDonnell stood, but he did not look up at them.Spencer asked the former governor and his wife to sit, then mildly asked the lawyers in the case if they were available for a Jan. 6 sentencing hearing. All said they were.
“We’ll get started at 10 o’clock,” Spencer said.
Spencer then asked the McDonnells to stand again and explained what will happen next. Before their sentencing, he said, someone from the probation office would reach out to discuss the case and various aspects of their background which might affect the sentence they will receive. He said if they choose to participate in the process, they could have their lawyers present. At the end of it, he said, a report would be generated.
“That completes this matter,” he said. “We’ll take a break and get back into the civil case.”
Gov. McAuliffe: 'Deeply saddened'
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who took over the office previously held by Robert F. McDonnell in January, released a statement a short time after the verdict was announced.“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 (D) said. “Dorothy and I will continue to pray for the McDonnell family and for everyone who was affected by this trial.”
McDonnell wept as verdict was read
The moment the first guilty verdict was read, Robert F. McDonnell closed his eyes tightly, shaking in his seat as he wept.Maureen McDonnell seemed to cry, too, though with her back to the courtroom, her tears were less obvious. In the wooden bench directly behind her, daughter Cailin McDonnell Young hunched forward and sobbed, her husband, Chris Young, hugging her as she did so.
As the eighth guilty count was read, Bob McDonnell buried his face in his hands. By the end, he was slumped in his chair, still crying.
The former governor did not look up as jurors each answered “yes” in turn to affirm their verdict. One juror appeared to be upset, and fidgeted in her seat.
Count by count verdict
Here’s the verdict, count by count, in the Robert F. and Maureen McDonnell corruption trial:Count 1: Conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 2: Honest services wire fraud: $15,000 wedding check
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 3: Honest services wire fraud: MoBo $50,000
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 4: Honest services wire fraud: MoBo $20,000
Maureen G. McDonnell: Not guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 5: Conspiracy to obtain property under color of official right
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 6: Obtaining property under color of official right: $50,000 in 2011 to MGM
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 7: Obtaining property under color of official right: $15,000 wedding check
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 8: Obtaining property under color of official right: $2,380 Kinloch 5/29/2011
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 9: Obtaining property under color of official right: $1,424 Kinloch 1/7/2012
Maureen G. McDonnell: Not guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 10: Obtaining property under color of official right: $50,000 MoBo
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 11: Obtaining property under color of official right: $20,000 MoBo
Maureen G. McDonnell: Not guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Guilty
Count 12: False statement to Townebank on 10/03/2012
Maureen G. McDonnell: N/A
Robert F. McDonnell: Not guilty
Count 13: False statement to PenFed on 02/01/2013
Maureen G. McDonnell: Not guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: Not guilty
Count 14: Obstruction of an official proceeding
Maureen G. McDonnell: Guilty
Robert F. McDonnell: N/A
Sentencing set for Jan. 6
With no fanfare, U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer set sentencing for Jan. 6 at 10 a.m.Robert McDonnell, who sobbed throughout the proceeding, walked out with his head down. Maureen McDonnell hugged a friend at length in the aisle of the court.
The verdict: Guilty
A federal jury Thursday found former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, guilty of public corruption — sending a message that they believed the couple sold the office once occupied by Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson to a free-spending Richmond businessman for golf outings, lavish vacations and $120,000 in sweetheart loans.After three days of deliberations, the seven men and five women who heard weeks of gripping testimony about the McDonnells’ alleged misdeeds acquitted the couple of several charges pending against them — but nevertheless found that they lent the prestige of the governor’s office to Jonnie R. Williams Sr. in a nefarious exchange for his largesse.
The verdict means that Bob McDonnell, who was already the first governor in Virginia history to be charged with a crime, now holds an even more unwanted distinction: the first ever to be convicted of one.
He and his wife face decades in federal prison, although their actual sentence could fall well short of that.
Guilty on corruption, not guilty on falsifying loan documents
Robert F. McDonnell has been found guilty of 11 corruption counts. He was acquitted of falsifying loan documents.Maureen McDonnell has been found guilty of eight corruption counts as well as obstruction of justice. She has also been found not guilty of falsifying loan documents.
The McDonnell family is sobbing in the courtroom.
Maureen McDonnell guilty on eight corruption counts
Maureen McDonnell guilty on eight corruption counts and obstruction of justice.Robert McDonnell guilty on 11 counts
Robert F. McDonnell has been found guilty of 11 counts — all corruption charges.McDonnells walk to the courthouse
Robert F. McDonnell walked a half block down Broad Street in front of the courthouse, arm in arm with his son Bobby and alongside his sister Eileen with the priest trailing. The serene-looking former governor repeatedly said, “Okay, thank you all,” when asked how he was doing by the gaggle of press and cameramen surrounding him and his supporters.The group was followed in quick succession by Maureen McDonnell and her entourage. She held hands with her daughters, stared straight ahead and said nothing.
— Jenna R. Portnoy
Looking at the indictment, timeline
The jury’s verdict will be read aloud in the courtroom shortly. In the meantime, here are two key resources to help you catch up on how we got here:- The indictment: Filed in January, the indictment runs down the counts facing the McDonnells — jointly and alone — as well as the history of the relationship between Robert F. and Maureen McDonnell and businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr.
- The timeline: This runs down the history of the trial, from jury selection on through to the jury deliberations.
McDonnell gifts list
As we await the verdict in the McDonnell trial, now might be a good opportunity to revisit some of the case’s other details.Here is an interactive depicting the gifts that the McDonnells received from businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr.
Statistics on the case
The McDonnells are now gathering with their lawyers to hear the verdict of the jury in the federal corruption trial of the former Virginia governor and his wife.Some statistics about the case so far:
- The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for more than 17 hours over three days. They submitted not a single question to the judge that could be used to discern the direction of their conversations.
- The jury heard testimony from 67 witnesses over five weeks — 48 for the prosecution and 19 for the defense, of whom 15 testified for Robert F. McDonnell and four for Maureen McDonnell.
- Businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr. spent 15 hours on the witness stand, spread over parts of four days.
- Bob McDonnell spent 24 hours on the witness stand, spread over five days. Of that time, 8.5 hours was cross-examination by prosecutors. The rest came as he answered questions from his own lawyers or those for his wife.
- The couple jointly face 14 counts. They each face 13. Of those, 11 are corruption related. They share one count of lying on financial documents related to omitting liabilities from Williams on a loan application submitted on Feb. 1, 2013. Bob McDonnell is charged alone with a second count of lying on financial documents stemming from a personal financial statement he submitted to a bank on Oct. 3, 2012. Maureen McDonnell is charged alone with one count of obstruction of justice, related to returning a box of clothes Jonnie had purchased for her in March 2013, along with a note in which prosecutors allege she falsely indicates he loaned them to her. That was after her interview by Virginia State Police.
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