AP
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The defense continues presenting its case when the public corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, resumes in federal court in Richmond. Bob McDonnell’s attorneys called five witnesses to the stand Monday as the trial entered its fourth week. Four were members of McDonnell’s cabinet, and the other was director of a state tobacco commission. They testified that McDonnell never asked them to do anything to benefit nutritional supplements maker Star Scientific or its former CEO, Jonnie Williams. The jury will hear from more defense witnesses Tuesday. The McDonnells are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s products.
Jessica Ewing
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) _ A trial date has been set for a woman charged with killing a Virginia Tech student. Twenty-three-year-old Jessica Ewing is charged with first-degree murder and transporting, secreting or altering a body. Media outlets report that Ewing waived her right to a speedy trial during a hearing Monday in Montgomery County Circuit Court. The former Virginia Tech student’s trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 17, 2015. Ewing is accused of killing 21-year-old Samanata Shrestha earlier this year. Shrestha’s body was found in the back seat of her car, wrapped in a sleeping bag, on Feb. 10 in Blacksburg. The medical examiner’s office determined that the cause of death was ligature strangulation.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The clock is ticking on whether the U.S. Supreme Court will delay a ruling striking down Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban. Attorneys representing a county clerk in Virginia have asked the nation’s highest court to stay the decision by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals while it’s appealed. The plaintiffs and others Monday asked that the ruling issued in late July not be delayed and that the case be reviewed as quickly as possible. Virginia is supporting a delay to minimize disruptions while the issue is resolved. Unless the court intervenes, same-sex marriages could begin Thursday. The state also would need to start recognizing out-of-state gay marriages. The request will either be considered by Chief Justice John Roberts or the full court. It has twice granted delays in related cases.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Employment Commission says the state’s jobless rate rose slightly to 5.4 percent in July. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is up from 5.1 percent in June and down from 5.7 percent a year ago. Virginia’s jobless rate has increased for the past three months. It had reached its lowest rate in February since November 2008. The largest jobs increase was seen in construction and the only sector that saw declines in July was finance. Other areas such as total government, manufacturing and professional and business services also saw gains. The Labor Department says unemployment rates rose in 30 states, dropped in 8 and was unchanged in 12 states and Washington, D.C. The national unemployment rate was 6.2 percent in July.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Gov. Bob McDonnell struggled to rein in his wife’s erratic behavior, causing turmoil throughout the executive staff and nearly prompting a mass resignation among workers in the governor’s mansion, a defense witness testified Monday. After prosecutors presented nearly three weeks of testimony in the public corruption trial of McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, lawyers for Bob McDonnell opened their defense with even more testimony that portrayed Maureen McDonnell badly, saying she lashed out when she didn’t get her way. Prosecutors say the McDonnells accepted more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s dietary supplements. The couple is charged in a 14-count indictment. The tight relationship between Maureen McDonnell and Williams has been a key issue at trial, with the former governor’s lawyers suggesting that she acted largely on her own to promote Williams’ tobacco-based supplement, Anatabloc. Janet Kelly, who served as secretary of the commonwealth under McDonnell, said she had known about Maureen’s “challenging behavior” for years and that she took the job as secretary of the commonwealth only after receiving assurances she wouldn’t have to deal with Maureen. Kelly and other staffers intervened to thwart a mass resignation of the mansion staff, in which they wrote a joint letter stating that “to be treated like naughty children any time something doesn’t suit you is completely unacceptable.”
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A cabinet secretary for Bob McDonnell tells jurors she wasn’t instructed to give preferential treatment to the owner of a dietary supplement company at the heart of the former governor’s ongoing corruption trial. Janet Kelly, who was secretary of the commonwealth under McDonnell and played a key role in handing out jobs and appointments, testified Monday as the former governor’s lawyers began laying out their defense. She says she was never asked to give any appointments or jobs to Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams or to executives from his company. She says McDonnell wanted only the “best and the brightest” to serve in his administration, regardless of their connections. Prosecutors say McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, accepted gifts and loans from Williams in exchange for promoting his dietary supplements.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Attorneys have opened their defense of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell at his corruption trial by trying to demonstrate that he was open and transparent with his financial records. A bookkeeper for a real estate partnership owned by McDonnell and his sister testified Monday that the former governor agreed in their first email exchange to give her full access to his bank records. Brenda Chamberlain says it was relatively rare for a client to do so. On cross-examination, though, she acknowledged that McDonnell was the only client who ever asked for a confidentiality agreement. Prosecutors say McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, accepted more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company’s dietary supplements.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Virginia Lottery says it earned a record $538.6 million in the most recent fiscal year on the strength of sales of instant scratch-off tickets and a huge Mega Millions jackpot drawing in December. The Lottery says the profit for the fiscal year that ended June 30 broke the mark of $487.1 million set in in fiscal 2012. Lottery sales in fiscal 2013 grew 7.2 percent to a record $1.81 billion. Executive Director Paula Otto says the number of people buying Virginia Lottery tickets grew 2 percent. A $636 million Mega Millions jackpot last December, the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history, resulted in more than $16 million in profit for the Virginia Lottery from jackpot ticket sales. Under state law, all lottery profit goes to Virginia’s K-12 public schools.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ A judge has rejected a request to dismiss charges against former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife in their corruption trial. The couple’s attorneys argued in court Friday that the prosecution had failed to prove the McDonnells had violated any laws. Judge James R. Spencer denied the motions. Prosecutors rested their case Thursday after nearly three weeks of testimony. The defense is set to begin presenting its case on Monday. The McDonnells are charged with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from the former CEO of a dietary supplements maker in exchange for promoting his company’s products. They could face decades in prison if convicted.
Former Virginia
Gov. Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Prosecutors have finished presenting their case to a jury in the corruption trial of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen. The government wrapped up its case Thursday with FBI Special Agent David Husler testifying as the final prosecution witness. The McDonnells are charged in a 14-count indictment with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from the former CEO of a dietary supplements maker in exchange for promoting his company’s products. They could face decades in prison if convicted. Prosecutors called 45 witnesses during the nearly three weeks of trial, which has produced many embarrassing details about the former first couple’s time in office. The defense is set to begin presenting its case Monday.