Wife of Bob McDonnell Gets 1 Yr in Corruption Case
Former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell has been sentenced to one year and one day in prison for her public corruption conviction.
Mrs. McDonnell was charged in September with eight counts of public corruption. Prosecution recommended an 18-month sentence, six months less than that given to her husband, Bob McDonnell. Defense attorneys asked the judge to consider probation and 4,000 hours of community service in lieu of jail time.
Former Gov. McDonnell and his wife were found guilty in September of allegedly granting favors to wealthy vitamin executive Jonnie Williams in exchange for gifts and money. Gov. McDonnell denies ever giving Williams or his company special treatment in return for the lavish gifts the business executive gave McDonnell and his wife.
Williams testified he thought his gifts to the McDonnells would help him obtain research studies on his vitamin products at state medical schools. However, presidents of the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech each wrote letters to the judge saying even in private conversations Gov. McDonnell never asked the universities to research anything of that sort.
Williams was granted a transactional immunity for testifying against the McDonnells. This rare immunity, commonly referred to as "blanket immunity," protected him from being convicted for his dealings with the McDonnells as well as unrelated other legal issues Williams was involved in.
Former Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger voiced concern over Williams' immunity, saying, "Actions such as this contribute to the loss of public confidence in our institutions."
If the sentence stands, Mrs. McDonnell could become the first ever modern day governor's spouse sent to prison for felonies. Her husband will begin the appeal of his two-year sentence on May 12.
During the six-week trial, lawyers pointed out McDonnell's wife was never comfortable with the role of first lady and went through a lot of personal struggles living in the governor's mansion, one being her strained marriage. They also explained to the jury that even though she was the benefactor of many of Williams' lavish gifts, she was not an elected official and had no office to sell.
Many friends and supporters of Mrs. McDonnell testified and wrote letters describing her as a thoughtful, loving woman who was overwhelmed by the pressure of being first lady of Virginia. Her daughter Rachel McDonnell urged the judge to see that her mother has already suffered enough from the scandal that has driven their family apart and left her mother feeling "very alone."
In a letter to the judge, Jeanine McDonnell Zubowsky, the oldest of the couple's five children, said she believes her mother suffers from mental illness and that her father was planning on addressing his wife's health after leaving office last January.
She claimed her mother "has always been concerned about getting discounts or freebees. ... She hid her coordination with people for free or discounted things or services and she didn't communicate with my dad because she knew he would not approve."
Although some say Bob McDonnell threw his wife "under the bus" throughout the trial, the goal of the defense's strategy was to show the former governor was unaware of what was going on and his wife was unaware she was doing something illegal. The defense team fought hard to show the jury that the McDonnells' marriage was so strained they could not possibly have conspired to accept bribes from Williams because they were barely speaking.
Mrs. McDonnell addressed the courtroom Friday morning for the first time since the investigation began two years ago.
"Your honor, the cry of my heart is that I am sorry," she told Judge Spencer. "I opened the door and I blame no one but myself."
"I would ask in your sentence today that you consider the punishment I've already received," she said. "My marriage is broken, my family is hurting and my reputation is in shatters."
Judge Spencer has allowed Maureen McDonnell to remain free on bond pending her appeal.
