Former governor, wife indicted in Virginia gifts case

Former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were charged on Tuesday with illegally accepting gifts, luxury vacations and large loans from a wealthy Richmond, Virginia area businessman who sought special treatment from state government.

 

Authorities allege that for nearly two years, the McDonnells repeatedly asked executive Jonnie Williams Sr. for loans and gifts of money, clothes, golf fees and equipment, trips, and private plane rides. The gifts and loans totalled at least $165,000 (Dh606,044).

In exchange, authorities allege, the McDonnells worked in concert to lend the prestige of the governor’s office to Williams’s struggling company, Star Scientific, a former small cigarette manufacturer that now sells dietary supplements. 

McDonnell, 59, is the first governor ever to face criminal charges in Virginia, a state that has prided itself on a history of clean and ethical politics, and the charges will probably accelerate a push for the legislature to tighten state ethics laws.

The criminal prosecution marks a stunning crash for a politician who was considered for the Republican vice-presidential nomination in 2012 and who, just a year ago, was considered a credible prospective candidate for president.

The 43-page, 14-count indictment adds new details to a storyline of largesse that was first recounted by The Washington Post in March. It depicts an elected official in financial trouble who sought help from a businessman with something to gain. 

McDonnell and his legal team immediately denounced the charges and said prosecutors overstepped their authority. In an unprecedented televised public appearance on Tuesday night, McDonnell said, “I come before you this evening as someone who has been falsely and wrongfully accused and whose public service has been wrongfully attacked.”

He went on to insist, “I repeat again, emphatically, that I did nothing illegal for Mr Williams.” 

Prosecutors contend that the then-first couple arranged access for Williams to top state officials, allowed the historic governor’s mansion to be used for a launch party for a company pill not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and attended Star events designed to boost the company’s prestige, particularly with university researchers with whom the company was trying to build credibility.

They also said the couple took significant steps to hide the relationship. They accuse the former first lady of lying to investigators about how and when her husband had met Williams and of trying to pass off luxury clothes he purchased for her as a loan from his daughter.

The former governor, they said, illegally failed to disclose to banks the loans he had received from Williams as he sought to refinance several home loans. 

If convicted of the charges, the couple could face a maximum of 30 years in prison, though they probably would serve far less. They are scheduled to be arraigned on Friday.

“We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute public corruption,” US Attorney Dana Boente said in a statement.

Through an attorney, McDonnell repeated an apology he has offered several times for his interactions with Williams. But he strongly denied that his actions were illegal and promised to fight the charges in court.

His attorneys were even more forceful, filing court papers on Tuesday that in unusually strong language accused prosecutors of ignoring evidence that might damage the credibility of a witness and overzealously pursuing a case built on the testimony of Williams, who was offered immunity from prosecution. 

“The federal government’s decision to use these deceitful tactics in order to prosecute a popular and successful Republican Governor immediately upon his leaving office is disgraceful, violates basic principles of justice, and is contemptuous of the citizens of Virginia who elected him,” McDonnell’s attorneys wrote.