NEWARK--David Wildstein, a key figure in the Bridgegate scandal, is scheduled to be sentenced this week, two years after pleading guilty to his role in the bizarre scheme of political hardball that led to the convictions of two former members of Gov. Chris Christie's inner circle.

He could get up to 27 months in prison when he comes before U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton in Newark on Wednesday morning. However, he is unlikely to serve anywhere near that--if he is imprisoned at all--following his cooperation with federal prosecutors in the investigation of the politically motivated shutdown of traffic lanes at the George Washington Bridge that became known as "Bridgegate."

Wildstein, 55, testified for eight days against Bill Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Bridget Anne Kelly, who had served as a deputy chief of staff to Christie, in connection with a scheme to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for his refusal to support Christie for re-election in 2013 by strategically shutting down several toll lanes at the George Washington Bridge during the morning rush hour.

But he admitted that he was the one who first came up with the plan, after realizing how quickly traffic would back up into surrounding neighborhoods if several lanes dedicated to motorists entering the toll plaza from Fort Lee were eliminated.

"I thought it would be a potential leverage point against Mayor Sokolich sometime down the road," he testified.

The bridge is operated by the Port Authority.

The plan was put into operation shortly after Kelly contacted Wildstein with a now-infamous email that said it was "time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

"Did you think Miss Kelly was joking?" he was asked by federal prosecutor Lee Cortes.

"No, sir, I did not," he responded.

Baroni and Kelly were both found guilty of fraud and conspiracy and are appealing their convictions. Wildstein has been free on bail and living in Sarasota, Fla., since pleading guilty in May 2015.

Christie was never accused of any wrongdoing and has denied knowing anything about the scheme before it came to light. But the scandal put the administration under a dark cloud, playing out as the governor was preparing his ill-fated run for the presidency.

Republican operative

Wildstein, who went to high school with Christie, was a shadowy figure in Jersey politics with an appetite for dirty tricks.

A one-term mayor of Livingston who left elective office to join his family floor mat manufacturing business, Wildstein, was the anonymous voice behind an influential political blog known for dishing juicy gossip on Democrats and Republicans. Offering exclusive news and behind-the-scenes information, Wildstein wrote secretly under the name of Wally Edge--a long-dead New Jersey governor whose support ironically led to the creation of the Port Authority in 1921.

The current governor has repeatedly downplayed their relationship. "We didn't travel in the same circles in high school," Christie has said. "You know, I was the class president and athlete. I don't know what David was doing during that period of time."

But after the governor was elected, Wildstein was appointed to a top patronage post at the Port Authority to a $150,000-a-year position with no job description.

David Wildstein arrives at Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse during a hearing last fall. He hopes to avoid prison as a result of his cooperation with prosecutors. (Julio Cortez | AP file photo)

Working at the Port Authority, where he called himself an "enforcer" in the service of the governor, Wildstein said he had a "one constituent" rule--a phrase he coined.

"If it was good for Gov. Christie, it was good for us. If it was not good for Gov. Christie, then it was not good for us," he explained.

The people around him, though, called him abusive and untrustworthy.

"I had concerns about damage he had done the entire time he was at the Port Authority," said Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye, during his trial testimony.

Foye recalled multiple complaints against Wildstein of harassment that were referred to human resources, as well as suspicions that the former political blogger had secretly monitored the phone calls of others. There was also his penchant for acquiring website domains in the names of those he was feuding with--including Foye himself--in what was believed was an effort to intimidate them.

During his testimony at the Bridgegate trial, Wildstein talked of his plea deal and cooperation agreement with the government.

"My hope is that I will not be sent to federal prison," he said.

Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.