RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC/AP) — Court records show the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond has denied former Governor Bob McDonnell’s request to remain free as he awaits a hearing in the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn his convictions on corruption charges.
Following the decision of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today, Governor Bob McDonnell issued the following statement:
“I am saddened by the Court’s decision today to deny me freedom while I pursue vindication in the U.S. Supreme Court. I am innocent of these charges and will petition the U.S. Supreme Court for a grant of bond. I ask my exceptional friends across the nation to continue to support and pray for me and my family during this agonizing time. I thank God for His abundant grace and strength as I continue this difficult journey.”
Gov. McDonnell’s legal team will file today a petition for bond with the Supreme Court of the United States
The decision means McDonnell will probably have to report to prison within the next several weeks.
McDonnell appealed to the Supreme Court last week, after a federal appeals court announced that his corruption case wouldn’t be revisited and his convictions were upheld.
McDonnell was sentenced earlier this year to two years in prison after a jury in September 2014 found the couple guilty of accepting more than $165,000 in loans and gifts — including a Rolex watch and designer clothing — in exchange for promoting a nutritional supplement marketed as a miracle cure by Star Scientific Inc.
The full appeals court last week refused to reconsider a three-judge panel’s unanimous ruling upholding Bob McDonnell’s convictions. The court will hear Maureen McDonnell’s case in October.
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