Ex-Va. first lady gets a year and a day for corruption

Peggy Fox | WUSA-TV, Washington, D.C.

Show Caption Hide Caption Maureen McDonnell sentenced to 1 year, 1 day Maureen McDonnell, wife of former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison after being convicted on federal corruption charges.

RICHMOND, Va. — Maureen McDonnell, the wife of former Gov. Bob McDonnell, was sentenced to 12 months and one day on Friday in a corruption scheme that also netted prison time for her husband.

A jury in September convicted the McDonnells of doing favors for former Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and low-interest loans. The gifts included about $20,000 in designer clothing and accessories Williams purchased for Maureen McDonnell during a Manhattan shopping spree and an engraved $6,500 Rolex watch she gave to Bob McDonnell as a Christmas present. Williams also paid for vacations and golf outings.

Prosecutors were recommending a sentence of 18 months for Maureen McDonnell.

Her attorneys were expected to argue that the public humiliation she endured during the six-week trial is punishment enough and are asking the judge to let her off with probation and 4,000 hours of community service.

Maureen McDonnell was convicted of eight counts, and the former governor was convicted of 11. Bob McDonnell was sentenced to two years behind bars last month. He is free on bond while he appeals the convictions to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear arguments May 12.

If she serves the sentence, McDonnell could become the first modern-day governor's spouse sent to prison for felonies she was convicted of committing while she held the mostly ceremonial position.

Giving a statement in her own defense, Maureen McDonnell fought through tears said she's been waiting for the day to apologize and acknowledge her mistakes.

She alluded to the judge's statement at her husband's sentencing that she had "let the serpent" into the Executive Mansion.

"I am the one who let the snake into the mansion," she said referring to Jonnie Williams. "The venom from that snake has poisoned my marriage, has poisoned my family and has poisoned the commonwealth that I love. I am the one who opened the door and I blame no one but myself."

Judge James Spencer called the case involving Maureen McDonnell bizarre and puzzling, describing the "good Maureen," who character witnesses called a wonderful mother and kind person, and the "other Maureen" who belittled staff and threw temper tantrums in the Executive Mansion, as described by multiple witnesses during the six-week trial.

One of her attorneys, Randy Singer, said the legal team is planning an appeal.

"I think what we saw today was a fundamentally good woman. She issued a heartfelt apology; she made mistakes and she owned mistakes that she made.

"Having said that, the 4th Circuit has already found substantial issues for appeal that could overturn this verdict. We intend to file an appeal and pursue those issues vigorously. We still believe in Maureen's innocence and we intend to seek her complete vindication."

Maureen McDonnell's niece, Casey Dean, and her best friend, Mary Guy, were among those hoping to convince U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer that McDonnell doesn't deserve to spend time in prison.

Witnesses focused on Maureen McDonnell's stress and anxiety as first lady, noting that she hated public speaking and felt alone in her role. According to them, this was the worst year of Maureen McDonnell's life. Her parents died, she became an empty nester, and was going through menopause. They described her as caring, supportive and that she has a strong character.

Longtime friend Lisa Thomas asked the judge for leniency because she's lost her dignity, family and has become a prisoner in her own home. Thomas, a former prostitute and drug addict, spent a year in prison herself for forged checks.

McDonnell's 26-year-old daughter, Rachel, asked the judge to see the good in her mother and said that McDonnell has suffered enough.

Rachel McDonnell said her mother, always family-oriented and never wanting a life of luxury, asked her children not to testify. She added that her mother felt sorry for what she put her children through and expressed hope that the family can mend.

Bob McDonnell also appeared at his wife's sentencing hearing. The two kissed each other on the cheek upon greeting in court.

Juror Kathleen Carmody felt Maureen McDonnell should serve prison time.

"There is no doubt in my mind that Maureen had a hand in all this, and could even be considered driving the bus," Carmody explained.

Carmody believes, as prosecutors do, that Maureen McDonnell deserves less prison time than her husband because she was not an elected official or even a government employee.

Bob McDonnell won his request to stay out of prison pending his appeal, something Carmody finds distasteful.

"I felt that it was definitely part of him being high heeled, connected, as opposed to the drug dealer who has to go into jail and wait his time while his appeal is run through, Carmody said.

During the six-week trial, defense attorneys tried to show that the McDonnells' marriage was so strained that they were barely communicating and could not have conspired to solicit bribes. Bob McDonnell testified in his own defense, saying he began staying at the office later than necessary to avoid his wife's angry outbursts. Other witnesses described Maureen McDonnell's vitriol toward Executive Mansion staff members. Her former top aide acknowledged calling her a "nutbag."

Spencer said he will request that Maureen McDonnell serve her sentence in the closest prison to her home.

Contributing: WVEC-TV, Hampton-Norfolk, Va. and The Associated Press