A former rising star in the Republican Party, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was red-faced and sobbing Thursday when a jury convicted him and his wife on multiple counts related to influence peddling while he was in office.
After more than a month of sometimes soul-baring testimony, the jury issued guilty verdicts on 11 counts against McDonnell, while clearing him on two others. His wife,Maureen, was convicted on nine while cleared on four.
Scroll down past the text and charges for updates from our CBS 6 crews outside the federal courthouse.
The former first couple wept openly in the Richmond, Virginia, courtroom as the guilty verdicts came in.
Jury deliberations began Tuesday and lasted more than 17 hours over three days in the case that had all the elements of a soap opera: a broken marriage, alleged influence peddling and courtroom drama.
McDonnell and his wife arrived and left the courthouse separately throughout the trial in a display at the heart of their defense.
The pair pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of fraud, making false statements, and obstruction. They were indicted in January after McDonnell left office following the lone term allowed under Virginia law.
Prosecutors alleged the McDonnells accepted gifts with a combined value of at least $140,000 from Jonnie Williams, a nutritional supplement executive, in exchange for promoting his company using the power and the trappings of the governor's office.
The gifts included designer clothes, a Rolex watch, golf clubs, iPhones and a painting, according to the indictment and evidence presented at the trial.
Their defense? The 38-year marriage was so broken that the McDonnells barely spoke to each other, let alone conspired to peddle influence in the way alleged by the government.
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McDonnell said he didn't commit any crime, though he acknowledged questionable judgment in accepting what he called the "personal generosity and friendship" of Williams.
Defense lawyers argued that Maureen McDonnell, seeking emotional attachment because of her loveless marriage, developed what they described as a kind of schoolgirl crush on Williams and relished the attention and gifts from him.
The question was whether she or her husband reciprocated by promoting Williams' business in government circles.
Witnesses included some of the family's five grown children, former staff members of the governor and others close to the state's first family.
The McDonnells tried to get their cases separated, but lost that bid.
McDonnell and his wife face up to 30 years in prison when they are sentenced on Jan. 6.
Here are the charges and verdict, per count:
- BOB, MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 1: Conspiracy to Defraud the Citizens of Virginia of Their Honest Services by Use of Interstate Wires
- BOB, MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 2: Use of Interstate Wire Communications to Further Scheme to Defraud the Citizens of Virginia of Their Right to Honest Services ($15K Wedding Check from Jonnie Williams)
- BOB, MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 3: Use of Interstate Wire Communications to Further Scheme to Defraud the Citizens of Virginia of Their Right to Honest Services ($50K MoBo Check from Jonnie Williams)
- BOB GUILTY, MAUREEN NOT GUILTY — Count 4: Use of Interstate Wire Communications to Further Scheme to Defraud the Citizens of Virginia of Their Right to Honest Services ($20K MoBo Check from Jonnie Williams)
- BOB, MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 5: Conspiracy to Obtain Property under Color of Official Right
- BOB , MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 6: Obtaining Property under Color of Official Right ($50K check from Jonnie to Maureen)
- BOB, MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 7: Obtaining Property under Color of Official Right ($15K check from Jonnie for wedding)
- BOB, MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 8: Obtaining Property under Color of Official Right ($2,380 green fees at Kinloch Golf Club)
- BOB GUILTY, MAUREEN NOT GUILTY — Count 9: Obtaining Property under Color of Official Right ($1,424 green fees at Kinloch)
- BOB, MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 10: Obtaining Property under Color of Official Right ($50K MoBo check from Jonnie)
- BOB GUILTY, MAUREEN NOT GUILTY — Count 11: Obtaining Property under Color of Official Right ($20K MoBo wire transfer from Jonnie)
- BOB NOT GUILTY — Count 12: False Statement (Bob McDonnell’s statement to Towne Bank)
- BOB, MAUREEN NOT GUILTY — Count 13: False Statement (Bob and Maureen McDonnell’s statement to PenFed)
- MAUREEN GUILTY — Count 14: Obstruction of an Official Proceeding (Maureen McDonnell letter to Jonnie about dresses)
