A federal court has denied former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s request for a rehearing on his 11 corruption convictions.
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The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the response by 5 p.m. Friday. Today’s decision marks second time a federal appeals court has denied McDonnell a rehearing since a three-judge panel rejected McDonnell’s appeal on July 10, 2015.
Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell will remain a free man during his appeals process.
Bob McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison, and his wife Maureen was sentenced to one year and one day in prison. “The Supreme Court should be given the same opportunity, and Gov. McDonnell should not be required to serve the bulk of his 24-month prison sentence before it has that chance”. The convicted governor once considered a viable Republican presidential candidate now has the option to appeal at a Supreme Court level. She also has remained free pending her appeal, which is scheduled to be heard in October.
According to trial testimony, Williams showered the McDonnells with lavish gifts – including a Rolex watch for the governor, about $20,000 in designer clothing for the first lady and $15,000 to pay for catering at a daughter’s wedding – while the former Star Scientific Inc. president sought state university research on his company’s signature product.
Shortly after a federal appeals court said on Tuesday that it wouldn’t revisit the case, McDonnell attorney Henry Asbill declined to say whether his client will have to report to prison.
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McDonnell’s challenge to the Supreme Court will likely hinge on the notion that he neither performed nor agreed to perform any so-called “official acts” for Williams, and that U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer defined the term too broadly for jurors.
