Bob McDonnell
⚠️ All Corruption Flags (2)
In September 2014, a federal jury convicted former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen of honest services fraud and Hobbs Act extortion. Prosecutors proved McDonnell accepted approximately $177,000 in gifts and loans (Rolex watch, designer clothing, vacations, and a sportscar ride) from dietary supplement maker Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting Williams' product Anatabloc to Virginia state employees.
On June 27, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously vacated McDonnell's conviction in McDonnell v. United States, narrowing the legal definition of an 'official act' under the federal bribery statute and ruling that 'merely setting up a meeting, calling another public official, or hosting an event' does not, by itself, constitute an official act. The DOJ subsequently dropped all charges. The Supreme Court's narrowing of the corruption statute would later be used to overturn the convictions of Sheldon Silver, Dean Skelos, and others.