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Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell Gets 2 Years In Prison

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell with his son Bobby in Richmond, Va.
Steve Helber
/
AP
Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell with his son Bobby in Richmond, Va.

Updated at 4:02 p.m. ET

Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was sentenced today to two years in prison for public corruption.

U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer said McDonnell must report to prison on Feb. 9. Spencer said he was moved by the support for the former governor, but "a price must be paid. Unlike Pontius Pilate, I can't wash my hands of it all. A meaningful sentence must be imposed."

Earlier, McDonnell addressed the court, asking that Spencer show him and his wife, Maureen, mercy.

"I stand before you a heartbroken and humbled man," he said.

The sentence could be seen as a victory for McDonnell's attorneys. Prosecutors had sought a range of at least 10 years and one month to as long as 12 years and seven months in prison for the acceptance of bribes totaling $177,000 while McDonnell was governor. Spencer had earlier lowered the recommended sentence to 6 1/2 to 8 years.

McDonnell's attorneys had asked for community service rather than prison time. The former governor said he will appeal today's sentence.

Outside the courtroom, McDonnell said he was "deeply, deeply sorry" for some of his actions, but insisted that he "never, ever betrayed my sacred oath of office."

Virginia's former governor and his wife, Maureen, were convicted in September of multiple counts of corruption stemming from a relationship with Jonnie Williams, the CEO of Star Scientific. The couple accepted money, expensive gifts and vacations from Williams in exchange for government favors as Williams sought to market his company's dietary supplements. The Washington Post listed several of the gifts, which included a Rolex watch, a shopping trip in New York City, wedding catering for the McDonnells' daughter Cailin and several golf outings for the couple's sons on a private jet.

Defense attorneys had argued for a sentence of 6,000 hours of community service based on, among other things, McDonnell's service as governor and what they argued was his acceptance of responsibility for the offenses. The prosecution counters that McDonnell's case should serve as an example of political corruption and its consequences.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that the defense submitted a 29-page memo asking that the former governor be allowed to remain free pending an appeal.

Craig Carper with Richmond's WCVE radio told NPR's Newscast that more than 400 letters were written by McDonnell's family members, friends and supporters, as well as elected officials, asking Spencer for leniency.

Maureen McDonnell will be sentenced separately on Feb. 20.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Lauren Hodges is an associate producer for All Things Considered. She joined the show in 2018 after seven years in the NPR newsroom as a producer and editor. She doesn't mind that you used her pens, she just likes them a certain way and asks that you put them back the way you found them, thanks. Despite years working on interviews with notable politicians, public figures, and celebrities for NPR, Hodges completely lost her cool when she heard RuPaul's voice and was told to sit quietly in a corner during the rest of the interview. She promises to do better next time.
Krishnadev Calamur is NPR's deputy Washington editor. In this role, he helps oversee planning of the Washington desk's news coverage. He also edits NPR's Supreme Court coverage. Previously, Calamur was an editor and staff writer at The Atlantic. This is his second stint at NPR, having previously worked on NPR's website from 2008-15. Calamur received an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

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Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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