John Edwards

On June 3, 2011, former Senator John Edwards was indicted by a federal grand jury in North Carolina on 6 felony charges: 4 counts of collecting illegal campaign contributions, 1 count of conspiracy, and 1 count of making false statements. Prosecutors alleged Edwards solicited nearly $1 million from wealthy donors Rachel 'Bunny' Mellon and Fred Baron to conceal his affair with videographer Rielle Hunter and the existence of their child, in order to protect his image as a family man during his 2008 presidential campaign. He faced a potential maximum of 30 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine.

• Wikipedia — John Edwards
• Wikipedia — John Edwards extramarital affair
• CNN — John Edwards Fast Facts

The trial began April 23, 2012. On May 31, 2012, after 9 days of deliberation, the jury acquitted Edwards on one count (illegal use of campaign funding — the Rachel 'Bunny' Mellon contribution count) and deadlocked on the remaining 5 counts. U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles declared a mistrial on those counts. The Department of Justice subsequently dropped the remaining charges and did not retry Edwards.

• TIME — Jury finds John Edwards not guilty on one count; mistrial on others (2012-05-31)
• NPR — Jury acquits Edwards on 1 count, mistrial on others (2012-06-01)
• Wikipedia — John Edwards

Edwards publicly admitted a 'moral failing' after the verdict. His defense team argued throughout the trial that the donations were personal gifts from friends intended to hide the affair from his cancer-stricken wife Elizabeth Edwards, not campaign contributions to deceive voters.

• Wikipedia — John Edwards extramarital affair
• TIME — Jury finds John Edwards not guilty on one count; mistrial on others (2012-05-31)