Politics

Jury Finds Bob and Maureen McDonnell Guilty on Several Counts of Corruption

After 17 hours of deliberation, the jury in Bob and Maureen McDonnell's corruption case has reached a verdict. 

By Arit John
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After 17 hours of deliberation, the jury in Bob and Maureen McDonnell's corruption case has reached a verdict.

The jury has found both McDonnells guilty of several charges of public corruption. The Washington Post reports that both were found not guilty of falsifying loan documents, but in addition to several corruption charges, Maureen McDonnell was also found guilty of obstruction of justice:

According to reports, the entire McDonnell family, inclduing Gov. Bob McDonnell, were brought to tears by the guilty verdicts.

The McDonnells, the former governor and first lady of Virginia, are accused of accepting $165,000 in gifts and using the power of the governor's office to promote a wealthy businessman's line of dietary supplements.

The estranged couples' odd legal defense has been to argue that their marriage was too strained for them to work together to commit a crime, with most of the blame being place on Maureen McDonnell and her "crush" on businessman Jonnie Williams. As the verdict shows, the jury didn't completely buy that story.

It's not clear how much jail time the McDonnells will receive, but it's worth noting that both were offered a plea deal. Under the deal, Maureen McDonnell would have received no charges and Bob McDonnell would have plead guilty to one count of corruption, with no jail time.

This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.

This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.