Bob McDonnell’s federal corruption conviction upheld

Bob McDonnell, right, is somber while speaking about Sen.

The 4th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the guilty verdict in the trial of ex- Gov. Bob McDonnell in ruling issued Friday morning.

The conclusion from judge’s decision in the McDonnell appeal.

Mrs. McDonnell is also appealing her conviction on federal corruption charge. In the appeal, he argued that his convictions were based on a definition of bribery that would make virtually every politician a criminal.

The ex- Republican governor, once widely considered a possible running mate to ex- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was sentenced in January to two years in prison.

McDonnell can take his appeal to the full-court panel or to the U.S. Supreme Court, media outlets have reported.

McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were convicted last September of taking more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting the tobacco-derived anti-inflammatory Anatabloc.

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