SHERMAN -- A federal jury on Thursday convicted the former mayor of Richardson and her developer husband on four counts each in their federal bribery and corruption case.

A project by developer Mark Jordan was supported by the former mayor despite her public position opposing apartments near neighborhoods. Laura Maczka, now Laura Jordan, voted to allow the project to move forward in the midst of a sexual relationship marked by lavish vacation trips and secret rendezvous.

Prosecutors say she received $18,000 in cash, $40,000 by check and $24,000 in home renovations in exchange for her votes.

"This kind of corrupt relationship undermines the public's confidence in government," Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown said in a statement. "This was more than an ethical violation, this was absolutely criminal. We need juries that recognize public corruption for what it is, and support prosecutions that attempt to hold accountable those who cheat. This jury certainly did that."

The bribery and corruption case hinged on intent but had no smoking guns, leaving it up to jurors to interpret the couple's actions -- specifically their lies and attempts to conceal their relationship and the things of value that developer Mark Jordan, 52, gave Laura Jordan, 54, during the development approval process.

U.S. Attorney Joseph Brown comments on the guilty verdicts against Laura and Mark Jordan on Thursday in front of the federal courthouse in Sherman. Standing to the left of him in the dark suit and striped tie is Christopher Eason, the lead prosecutor, who told jurors throughout the trial that the couple lied to cover up corruption, not merely an affair. (Kevin Krause / Staff )

Defense attorneys tried to open a window into doubt by framing their relationship as an illicit love affair between married adults who had a motive to hide the truth.

Each was convicted on four counts: conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud, honest services wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bribery, and bribery. Laura Jordan was acquitted on one of the counts against her related to wire fraud.

The four-week sensational trial featured local politicians, angry constituents, former lovers and spouses, racy emails, and wiretaps.

Through it all, Mark and Laura Jordan were rarely apart. The Plano couple could be seen strolling arm-in-arm in historic downtown Sherman during lunch breaks. Jurors learned a lot about them. Mark called her "Mick." She used emojis in her emails to him.

The Jordans met when he was seeking actions from the city that would make or break his Palisades development off Central Expressway, and potentially earn him millions of dollars. Their business relationship became an affair.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed Tuesday during closing arguments that the couple told many lies about their relationship. Defense attorneys, however, said the case was about courtship and love, not bribes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Eason argued that Mark Jordan both influenced and later rewarded Laura Jordan for her votes and support for his controversial development, which added apartments that neighbors vehemently opposed. Mark Jordan stood to earn as much as $100 million from the Palisades, he said, but he had a problem: a mayor who campaigned on not putting apartments near neighborhoods.

Mark Jordan, second from right, leaves the Sherman federal courthouse after being found guilty and taken into custody Thursday. (Kevin Krause / Staff)

The reward for Laura Jordan changing her position, Eason argued, was a high-paying job as a leasing agent when she stepped down as mayor -- a job for which she was neither qualified nor licensed.

The two married in 2017 in a rushed ceremony, according to trial testimony. The prosecution called it a calculated move as a defense strategy.

They tied the knot just days after Karen Jordan, Mark Jordan's ex-wife, testified before a grand jury in Sherman, according to prosecutors. Laura Jordan gave her pastor only four days' notice.

The government presented over 40 witnesses and dozens of exhibits, but key evidence came primarily from two witnesses: Karen Jordan and Sarah Catherine Norris, his ex-lover and business partner.

Both women told jurors that Mark Jordan revealed to them his plan of influencing and rewarding Laura Jordan for voting for his zoning request.

But defense attorneys Jeff Kearney and Dan Cogdell attacked their credibility during their closing arguments as they had during their testimony, portraying them to jurors as jealous, angry -- and worse. Cogdell said Karen Jordan was "distraught" and "emotionally unstable."

Reagan Wynn, an attorney for Laura Jordan, said she did create a "horrific appearance of impropriety," but insisted that her actions were not criminal.

The mayor's affair with a developer with business before the council, he said, "basically got her run out of office." And rightfully so, he added. But unethical and immoral behavior doesn't mean the pair had criminal intent, Wynn said.

Kearney told jurors that prosecutors based their case on innuendo, conjecture and speculation rather than facts.

In the end, the jury seemed to disagree, rendering the verdict after less than two days of deliberation -- an unusually swift decision for a complex political corruption case.

"I couldn't be any more disappointed with the decision reached by the jury," Cogdell said. "That said, I respect it because that is the system I place my faith in."

Kearney could not be reached for comment.

Mark Jordan was taken into custody late Thursday afternoon. Laura Jordan remains free. Both are expected back in court Friday morning for a detention hearing to determine whether they should be released pending sentencing. They could face up to 20 years in prison.

Michael A. Costanzi, acting special agent in charge of Dallas' FBI office, called the trial a "tale of mistrust, deception and greed."

He said Richardson's citizens were the victims. He thanked the public, who he called "an investigative partner" for holding their leaders accountable. During the controversy, many Richardson residents spoke out about the improper relationship and pressured the mayor to step down.

"They really won the day," Costanzi said.

Just a womanizer?

Mark Jordan's own attorneys speculated on and spoke disapprovingly of their client's conduct: Was he just a hopeless womanizer? Was it a mid-life crisis? Yes, he was a bad husband -- shame on him.

Jurors watched video of the then-mayor denying reports of an inappropriate relationship. They heard Laura Jordan's own words during a city work session: "I want to be completely transparent." They saw her text messages to friends, including one that said "I will never admit on television to anything."

And they saw one of Mark Jordan's emails to her: "Love to manipulate. Now I'm excited."

The mayor tried to explain herself in some of her email exchanges with one of her best friends, Michelle Altom, during the scandal.

"I have been isolated and alone for so long." And she said she was in "a dark place."

But Altom broke off the friendship, saying the mayor could not tell the truth anymore. She and other mutual friends said they felt like Laura was being "played" by the smooth-talking developer.

The key to the case, Brown said, was that multiple votes were taken when the mayor and developer were sleeping together and exchanging money.

"That's public corruption and juries can see that," he said.

Brown said it was a difficult case because of the circumstantial nature of the evidence.

"These people are professionals, they're smart," Brown said. "But even if they're hard, you have to take these cases."

Eason, the prosecutor, agreed.

"We take the hard cases," Eason said. "Because it's the right thing to do."

Compromised

Richardson City Manager Dan Johnson and some current and former City Council members testified that they would have called for a halt to Mark Jordan's application for $47 million in development incentives had they known about the mayor's conflict of interest.

The city officials also said in their testimony that Laura Jordan should have recused herself from voting on the Palisades.

"Perception is reality," said Paul Voelker, the current mayor of Richardson.

William Reid, a Canyon Creek resident who circulated a petition against the development at the time, testified that he voted for Laura Jordan because of her opposition to apartments.

"It was a big influence," he told jurors.

The plan to add numerous apartments to the Palisades snuck up on people, he said.

"It seemed a lot of people were not aware of what they were trying to do," Reid said in his testimony.