US Appeals Court Upholds Former Governor’s Public Corruption Convictions

Maureen McDonnell was sentenced to one year in prison; the ex- governor was sentenced to two years. A US appeals court ruled he will remain free pending his appeal.

Lawyers for McDonnell said Friday that they would review the opinion carefully and “continue to pursue all legal options”, according to e-mailed statement.

The appeals court finds no merit to McDonnell’s claim that his trial should have been severed from his wife’s. McDonnell raised a number of issues that simply didn’t gain any traction with the appellate panel. Her attorneys declined to comment. The first lady traveled with Williams, and both McDonnells espoused the benefits of Anatabloc, which has since been pulled from shelves following U.S. Food and Drug Administration warnings over how the product was promoted.

The case is US v. McDonnell, 15-4019, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (Richmond).

The court noted that the government’s evidence “demonstrated a close relationship” between the favors and gifts.

“With respect to the official acts alleged by the Government, a “quo” came on the heels of each ‘quid, ‘ ” the judges wrote, citing detailed examples. In the appeal, he argued that his convictions were based on a definition of bribery that would make virtually every politician a criminal.

“Appellant received a fair trial and was duly convicted by a jury of his fellow Virginians”, Judge Stephanie Thacker wrote in the 89-page opinion, which was endorsed by all three judges.

Jeff Bellin, a professor at the College of William and Mary Law School and a ex- federal prosecutor, said the appeals court’s decision didn’t do much to clarify the law.