Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnall is now officially a Republican. The man was found guilty today of 11 of 13 corruption counts, and his wife was found guilty of 9 of 13 counts.
A federal jury in Richmond convicted Bob McDonnell of 11 of the 13 counts he faced; Maureen McDonnell was convicted of nine of the 13 counts she had faced. Sentencing was scheduled for Jan. 6, and the couple could face decades in prison. Both bowed their heads and wept as a chorus of “guilty” kept coming from the court clerk.
The couple left the courtroom separately and remained apart. Bob McDonnell left first and walked into a witness waiting room; Maureen McDonnell came out later, hugging one of her daughters while weeping loudly. She went into a separate waiting room.
The couple was charged with doing favors for a wealthy vitamin executive in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans.
“This is a difficult and disappointing day for the commonwealth and its citizens. Public service frequently requires sacrifice and almost always requires financial sacrifice,” said Dana Boente, the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Virginia.
The jurors all declined to speak to reporters as they left the courthouse through a back door.
