McDonnell Jury Begins Deliberation in Corruption Trial

Jurors began deliberations Tuesday in the corruption trial that could send former Va. Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen to federal prison.

The jury left the courtroom after U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer spent nearly two hours reading nearly 90 pages of instructions, The Washington Post reports. The jury, comprised of seven men and five women, spent the past five weeks hearing from 67 witnesses and reviewing numerous exhibits.

Judge Spencer said Tuesday morning in order for the McDonnells to be found guilty of conspiracy, the couple must have knowingly and deliberately entered a corrupt agreement.

In the prosecution’s favor, Judge Spencer delivered the following instructions:

• An “official act” was defined broadly as an act that may have been customarily performed, such as setting up a meeting or holding an event. The McDonnells are accused of “performing official actions on an as-needed basis, as opportunities arose, to legitimize, promote and obtain research studies for Star Scientific’s studies.”
• If the general reputation of a witness’ truthfulness is bad, the witness’ credibility may be discredited.
• The testimony of an immunized witness (such as Williams) must be examined with greater care than other testimonies.
• Evidence of good character alone may create a reasonable doubt as to a defendant’s guilt.

In the defense’s favor, jurors received the following instructions:

• A statement made in good faith does not amount to a crime, so prosecutors must prove the couple knowingly acted to break the law.
• As a private citizen, Maureen McDonnell cannot be found guilty of the corruption charges on her own. She can only be convicted of acting with her husband as a part of a conspiracy to corrupt his office, The Washington Post reports. “A conspiracy is, in a very true sense, a partnership in crime,” Spencer said.

The former Virginia governor and first lady are charged in a 14-count public corruption indictment alleging the couple accepted more than $177,000 in gifts, luxury vacations and large loans from Jonnie R. Williams Sr., a wealthy Richmond-area businessman. In exchange, the couple allegedly lent the prestige of the governor’s office for Williams, the former CEO of dietary supplement maker Star Scientific, Inc., to promote his company’s dietary supplement called Anatabloc.

Image: Patch File Photo