RICHMOND, Va., (Reuters) – Former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell was sentenced yesterday to two years in federal prison and two years of probation for taking a bribe from a businessman seeking to promote a dietary supplement.
McDonnell, the first Virginia governor to be convicted of bribe-taking, received a shorter sentence than that sought by prosecutors for accepting sweetheart loans and lavish gifts from entrepreneur Jonnie Williams.
McDonnell, once a rising star in the Republican Party, was convicted in September along with his estranged wife, Maureen, after a five-week trial that laid bare rifts in their marriage and marred Virginia’s reputation for clean government. McDonnell left office in January 2014.
“No one wants to see the governor of Virginia in this kind of trouble,” U.S. District Judge James Spencer said before imposing sentence in a packed courtroom. “It breaks my heart, but a meaningful sentence must be imposed.”
McDonnell, 60, was ordered to report to prison on Feb. 9. Defense attorneys asked that he be sent to a facility in Petersburg, Virginia, so he could be close to his family.
McDonnell appealed to Spencer for mercy, saying: “I’ve admitted I am a sinner with many, many failures.” After sentencing, McDonnell told reporters the conviction would be appealed.
Spencer cited McDonnell’s military record and numerous letters he had received on his behalf in imposing the sentence. Eleven character witnesses testified for McDonnell, including former Democratic Governor L. Douglas Wilder.
Prosecutors had sought a 10- to 12-year prison term under advisory federal sentencing guidelines. McDonnell’s lawyers had sought a community service sentence instead of prison time.
Dana Boente, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern
