RICHMOND, Va. -- Lawyers for the former first lady Maureen McDonnell are asking that she be sentenced to 4,000 hours of community service instead of prison time. Conversely, prosecutors want her to serve 18-months.
She and her husband, former Governor Bob McDonnell, were convicted of multiple corruption counts last year. The charges stemmed from gifts and money they received from a local businessman.
Court documents revealed that the reasoning behind the proposed jail-time is due to Maureen McDonnell's participation in the scandal.
"Because Mrs. McDonnell was a full participant in a bribery scheme that sold the Governor’s office in exchange for luxury goods and sweetheart loans, many of which she solicited personally, and because she repeatedly attempted to thwart the investigation through false representations, it would be unjust for her not to serve a period of incarceration for her crimes."
The judge in the case recently sentenced the former governor to two years in prison, but a federal appeals court has ruled that he can remain free while appealing his conviction.
Mrs. McDonnell will be sentenced later this month.
