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Bob McDonnell, wife to be tried together - Associated Press - POLITICO.com
McDonnell was once considered a rising star in the GOP after his landslide election as Governor of Virginia in 2009.
The corruption trial against former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, is set to go to trial this summer after a judge tossed out a motion to dismiss most of the charges against the couple.
U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer also decided Tuesday that the former first couple should be tried together rather than apart.
The Republican and his wife are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 from Jonnie Williams, the former CEO of dietary supplements maker Star Scientific Inc. In exchange, they would help promote his products, according to prosecutors. Those gifts include shopping sprees for designer clothes and accessories, a Rolex watch, $15,000 in catering expenses for a daughter's wedding, golf outings and a lake-house vacation stay that included use of Williams' Ferrari, according to the indictment.
Part of the bribery scheme involved opening up the Executive Mansion for a launch party for a Star Scientific product and arranging a meeting between Williams and a state health official, according to prosecutors.
McDonnell was once considered a rising star in the GOP after his landslide election as Governor of Virginia in 2009.