Two former associates of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were found guilty on all counts for their roles in the Bridgegate scandal.

Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni had been charged with conspiracy and wire fraud in plotting to shut down lanes on the George Washington Bridge in 2013 as an act of political retribution.

Each faced seven counts, including violating the rights of citizens of Fort Lee, New Jersey, to travel without government restrictions, and misusing the resources of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Prosecutors and witnesses argued that Christie knew about his associates' plot, although Christie has not been charged with a crime and has maintained he had no knowledge of the plan.

The scandal dogged Christie throughout his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, and has contributed to his consistently low approval ratings throughout his second term as governor. In May, Donald Trump, now the Republican nominee, named Christie the lead of his White House transition team.

Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, and Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority, face maximum sentences of 20 years in prison. The US attorney for New Jersey, however, has said there's "no way" he would recommend such severe sentences.

Instead, federal sentencing guidelines indicate a likely sentence of from one to three years, according to The New York Times.

Shortly after the verdict was announced, Christie released a statement repeating that he played no role in the scandal, and added that "no believable evidence" was introduced in the trial that proved otherwise.

"I'm saddened by this case, and I'm saddened by the choices made by Bill Baroni, Bridget Kelly, and David Wildstein," the statement said. "Today's verdict does not change this for me."

"Those people were terminated by me, and today the jury affirms that decision by also holding them responsible for their own conduct."

Here's what we know:

The traffic jam

In September 2013, the Port Authority unexpectedly closed two of three access lanes from Fort Lee to the George Washington Bridge.

The closures snarled traffic for days at the mouth of the busiest bridge in the world. The Port Authority initially said the closings were part of a "traffic study," while local officials and law enforcement said they had been given no warning the lanes would be closed.

'Bridgegate'

In November 2013, Christie was reelected as governor with 60% of the vote. Democrats quickly began speculating that the lane closings had been an act of political revenge — Fort Lee's Democratic mayor, Mark Sokolich, had endorsed Christie's opponent in the gubernatorial election.

The incident morphed into a full-blown scandal in January 2014, after an email from Kelly was revealed that said "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." The email was leaked after it was subpoenaed by the New Jersey Legislature.

Bridget Anne Kelly. Associated Press/Mel Evans

Christie immediately fired Kelly and apologized to New Jersey residents, saying he was "blindsided" and "stunned by the abject stupidity" of those in his inner circle.

Baroni and David Wildstein, both Christie-appointed Port Authority officials, had resigned from their posts by the time her email surfaced. Kelly had sent the email to Wildstein, who replied with "Got it."

The trial

Kelly and Baroni were indicted in 2015 and pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud, civil rights deprivation, and conspiracy.

Wildstein, however, pleaded guilty to two conspiracy charges related to the scandal and testified against Kelly and Baroni.

Opening statements began September 19, with prosecutors saying Wildstein and Baroni "bragged" to Christie about the lane closings as they were happening. The defense attacked Wildstein's credibility as a witness, calling him "vindictive" and a liar.

In an August court filing from Wildstein's attorneys, a 2013 text message exchange between two Christie aides was revealed that said Christie "flat out lied" during a press conference that his staff was involved in the lane closings. Christie later disputed the claims, telling reporters they were "ridiculous."

Both Kelly and Baroni testified in their own defense during the six-week trial, accusing Wildstein of tricking them into believing that the lane closings were part of the traffic study.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys alike painted the governor's office as a political, vengeance-driven administration in which staff used the Port Authority to assist those friendly to Christie and punish those who weren't.

Chris Christie. Reuters/Gretchen Ertl

Christie's political future

While Christie has denied knowing about the lane closings, he has admitted Bridgegate has wielded a profound effect on his political aspirations. His approval ratings tanked shortly after the scandal emerged and haven't recovered.

Earlier in September, Christie told MSNBC it was likely a reason Trump did not select him as his running mate.

"I'm sure it was a factor," Christie said.

Political experts, meanwhile, have speculated that Christie would have been the establishment front-runner in the Republican primaries were it not for the scandal.

Trump himself used Bridgegate against Christie during the primaries.

"The GW Bridge, he knew about it," Trump said during a rally in December. "He totally knew about it."

Christie is thought to be seeking a spot in Trump's cabinet, should Trump be elected in November. Strategists have been weighing whether recent news of the aide's "flat out lied" texts have jeopardized that possibility.