RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Former Virginia first lady Maureen McDonnell’s legal team said in court filings Monday that her convictions on several public corruption charges are based on an overly broad definition of bribery and that she did not receive a fair trial owing to mistakes by the presiding federal judge.
In a 101-page brief filed in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, her attorneys said McDonnell’s convictions should be overturned or that, at minimum, she should be given another trial because of those errors.
McDonnell and her husband, former Gov. Bob McDonnell, were convicted in a joint trial in September of accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s nutritional supplements.
The former Republican governor, once widely considered a possible running mate to former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, was sentenced in January to two years in prison. His wife was sentenced on Feb. 20 to one year and one day in prison. Both are free on bond while they pursue appeals.
Maureen McDonnell’s arguments largely mirror those her husband has made during his ongoing appeal: that their convictions are based on a flawed understanding of what constitutes an “official action” by an elected official. The McDonnells have long argued that they only extended routine courtesies to Williams, not any special treatment that merits a bribery conviction.