Bob McDonnell, 60, was convicted on 11 of 13 counts of wire fraud and obtaining property under color of official right, according to the US District Attorney of Eastern Virginia. Maureen McDonnell, 60, was convicted on nine of 13 counts of wire fraud, obtaining property under color of official right and obstruction of an official proceeding.
The McDonnells were found guilty of having solicited and obtained more than US$170,000 in payments and gifts from Star Scientific, a nutritional supplement corporation, and Jonnie R. Williams Sr., its CEO, in exchange for arranging meetings with government officials and university researchers to promote Star supplements and encourage research studies that would legitimize the company’s products. Maureen McDonnell was also convicted of obstructing a grand jury investigation.
The conviction follows a melodramatic trial in which defense lawyers portrayed the couple’s marriage as a failure that left them so estranged that they would have been unable to conspire with one another. Gov. McDonnell, a Republican, testified that his wife yelled at him as he was getting a phone call from President Obama congratulating him on being elected, according to The New York Times.
Meanwhile, Ms. McDonnell’s lawyers described her relationship toward Williams and her acceptance of his gifts as infatuation, The New York Times reports. “To Maureen, this was about getting away from Bob,” her lawyer, William A. Burck, claimed. “You might find the mild obsession with Jonnie a little weird, but weird is not a crime.”
Williams, who was given immunity in exchange for his testimony, described his gifts and interactions with Ms. McDonnell as purely business-related, and said she told him, “The governor says it’s okay for me to help you, but I need you to help me with this financial situation.”
Williams’ gifts to the McDonnells included shoes, dresses, a Rolex watch, golf outings, and money to help pay for their daughter’s wedding, reports Reuters.
