Former Republican congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley will serve five months in prison for her role in a campaign consulting scandal involving former Governor John Rowland.
According to reports from inside the federal courtroom in New Haven, Judge Janet Bond Arterton disputed Wilson-Foley's claim that she was a "minor player" in the crime.
Wilson-Foley's sentence was ten months in prison, but will be suspended after the first five months.
Wilson-Foley and her husband, Brian Foley, pleaded guilty to conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions. Prosecutors say the couple created a sham contract between Foley's nursing home company and Rowland to hide the $35,000 they paid the former Republican governor for help on Wilson-Foley's failed 2012 campaign for the Fifth Congressional District seat.
Authorities said the couple hid Rowland's role because of his corruption conviction a decade ago.
Rowland was sentenced to 30 months in prison last week. Foley is serving three months of probation. Prosecutors wanted 10 months in prison for Wilson-Foley.
Tweets from the New Haven federal courthouse are below:
As was the case with Rowland last week, Wilson-Foley is arguing over the value of Work Rowland did for her husband Brian's nursing home biz
— Edmund H. Mahony (@EdMahony) March 24, 2015
If Judge agrees Rowland did $5K of work, Wilson-Foley faces a shorter sentence under the convoluted federal sentencing guidelines.
— Edmund H. Mahony (@EdMahony) March 24, 2015
Craig Raabe, lawyer for Lisa Wilson-Foley, says her husband kept her "in the dark" about sham consulting arrangement w/ Rowland #ctpolitics
— Neil Vigdor (@gettinviggy) March 24, 2015
Judge in Wilson-Foley sentencing: "Willful blindness to what’s going on does not relieve liability." #ctpolitics
— Neil Vigdor (@gettinviggy) March 24, 2015
Wilson-Foley's lawyer says her businesses will be severely harmed if she is incarcerated #ctpolitics
— Neil Vigdor (@gettinviggy) March 24, 2015
Lisa Wilson-Foley is arguing govt broke a promise not to prosecute her
— Edmund H. Mahony (@EdMahony) March 24, 2015
Wilson-Foley says she naively ran for Congress when she should have served on town council #ctpolitics
— Neil Vigdor (@gettinviggy) March 24, 2015
Angry dispute erupts at Wilson-Foley sentencing between prosecution and defense.
— Edmund H. Mahony (@EdMahony) March 24, 2015
Prosecutor says he didn't "fully appreciate" harsh circumstances of Lisa Wilson-Foley's upbringing until hearing sister's "powerful" remarks
— Alison Cowan (@cowannyt) March 24, 2015
Still prosecutor accused Wilson-Foley of courting public trust while hiding that she was "relying on someone who had grevously violated it."
— Alison Cowan (@cowannyt) March 24, 2015
Judge Arterton rejects defense claim that Wilson-Foley was a minor player.
— Paul Hughes (@RA_PaulHughes) March 24, 2015
This report includes information from The Associated Press.
