A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell on public corruption charges.
A three-judge panel on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals determined Friday that McDonnell received “a fair trial and was duly convicted by a jury of his fellow Virginians.”
McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison after prosecutors showed he accepted lavish gifts for him and his wife in return for helping a dietary supplement executive win business.
McDonnell was once a rising star in the Republican Party, and was vetted as a possible vice presidential pick by 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney, but instead he became the first Virginia governor to go to prison after a jury convicted him earlier this year.
