Virginia Ex-Governor Must Face Prosecution in Corruption [View all]
Source: Bloomberg
By Andrew Zajac May 20, 2014 12:36 PM ET
Virginia’s former governor Robert McDonnell, once a rising star in the Republican Party, failed to persuade a U.S. judge to throw out federal corruption charges against him and his wife, Maureen.
U.S. District Judge James Spencer in Richmond, Virginia, ruled today that U.S. prosecutors sufficiently supported their charges in the McDonnells’ indictment and that the case against them, scheduled for trial in July, should move ahead. Spencer also rejected the couple’s request that their cases be separated.
The McDonnells are accused of accepting vacations, loans, private plane rides and other benefits in exchange for using the governor’s office to benefit businessman Jonnie Williams, who at the time headed Star Scientific Inc. (STSI) and was trying to promote the dietary supplements made by the Glen Allen, Virginia-based company.
Before the gifts scandal emerged in the Virginia and Washington media, McDonnell, 59, was often mentioned as a potential Republican presidential candidate for 2016, attractive in part because of Virginia’s swing-state status. His name also appeared on analysts’ short-lists as a running-mate for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-20/virginia-ex-governor-must-face-prosecution-in-corruption.html
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