Former Virginia governor sentenced to two years for corruption

[Kibanga Ampiga Mkoloni]

Former Virginia governor sentenced to two years for corruption


WASHINGTON - Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison for accepting dozens of gifts and loans from a businessman intent on getting help from the state for a line of questionable health supplements.

McDonnell became the first Virginia governor to be charged with a serious crime and - barring a successful appeal - will be the first to go to jail.
The sentence was substantially lower than many expected. Prosecutors had asked the judge for a sentence of 10 to 12 years.

U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer said he was moved by the hours of tearful testimony supporting McDonnell, a Republican who was governor from 2010 to 2014.
Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, said that McDonnell could have been a Republican contender for president in 2016.

But the praise was not enough for Spencer to give McDonnell a sentence of community service, as defense attorneys had requested.

"A meaningful sentence must be imposed," the judge concluded.
"This entire case has been tragic from beginning to end," Spencer said. "All the grace and mercy I can muster - it cannot cover it all. It breaks my heart."
McDonnell, 60, thanked the judge "for the mercy he dispensed," and said he was "deeply, deeply sorry."

He described himself as "a heartbroken and humbled man."
Still, he vowed to file an appeal by Wednesday.

"I am a fallen human being," McDonnell said outside the courthouse. "I have failed at times with some of the judgments that I have made.... But I would also say to the great people of Virginia that I have never, ever betrayed my sacred oath of office."

McDonnell was told to report to prison Feb. 9.
In September, a jury found McDonnell guilty of 11 public corruption charges involving $177,000 in gifts or loans from health supplement salesman Jonnie R. Williams to McDonnell, his wife and his children. The gifts included golf clubs, vacations, the use of a boat and a Ferrari, and $25,000 in wedding presents for two of the couple's daughters.

There was no proof that skeptical state officials had done anything to actually help Williams, but the jury decided it was enough that McDonnell and his staff sent emails seeking state-led studies for Williams' products and held two promotional events for Williams at the governor's mansion.

Prosecutors refused to comment on the sentence, but hailed the guilty verdict.
"As governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Robert McDonnell violated the public's trust and tarnished the highest office in state government," said U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.

McDonnell's wife, Maureen, who had a close friendship with Williams and was also convicted in the case, surprised onlookers by showing up for the sentencing despite the couple's estrangement. She is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
The McDonnells have been living mostly apart since before the trial began. Part of their defense was that they could not have conspired together to defraud the state because their marriage was irreparably broken. The jury, which was shown pictures of the couple holding hands on their way to pretrial hearings, rejected that argument.

The trial appears to have divided the McDonnell family, which includes five children. One of their daughters, Jeanine McDonnell Zubowsky, a former U.S. Army officer in Iraq, wrote Spencer to say that the judge should go easy on her father because what happened was mostly her mother's fault.

Source: world.einnews

 

[Ryaro wa Ryaro]

Ndg Yangu Wenzetu Hawana mchezo na Maadili. Hapa kwetu tulitegemea Prof. Tibaijuka awe mfano wa Kuigwa kwenye swala la kutopokea zawaidi, vifurushi na Michango toka kwa Wafanyabiashara wenye Janja Janja.

Uhitaji kuwa na degree kuwa Prof.Tiba alikiuka Miiko ya uongozi. Kinachosubiliwa ni Je Kuvuliwa U-waziri tu inatosha na ndio adhabu sitaiki kwa Tibaijuka. Nadhani kuna ulazima wa kwenda Mbali zaidi ya hapo ili liwe fundisho kwa wengine.

Na Je tujiulize aliyekuwa anatoa 1.6b kwa watu tofauti tofauti Malengo yake ilikuwa nini?? na Je tuache mambo yeishe hivyo na ndio uwe utamaduni wa taifa letu. Piga Dili wakikushitukia unaachia ngazi tu, unaendela kula pesa na maisha yanasonga mbele.

Ni vema termination or any resignation from public service iendane na uchunguzi na mwisho wa siku Mkono wa sheria uchukue mkondo wake. Watu wapigwe mvua ( fail) ili ambitions za Siasa kwa lengo la Kupora Mali za Umma lisiwe kimbilio la wengi.

Watanzania bado tunasubiria tuone Mtoa pesa na mpokea pesa zilizokuwa zikigawiwa kama mali ya Marehemu ni hatua gani zimechukuliwa ili angalau si tu haki itendeke bali pia tunataka tuone ikitendeka.

Bila watu Kufungwa wizi na ujambazi wa Mali za umma itaendelea kuwa (culture),utamaduni wa taifa hili.Panya roads (Wanyonge), wanaendela kupoteza matumaini huku wenye nafasi wakipiga madili tena ya ma-biliione ya fedha.

Panya roads (Vijana na Wanyonge ), wanaelekea kukosa uvumilivu, hivyo mamlaka zinazohusika chukueni hatua kurudisha imani kwa Panya roads.

Hizi ni dalili ya kwamba panya roads wameshindwa kupata hata vibarua vya kuuza maji na kubeba tofali, hivyo kwao kuionya Keki ya taifa kistaarabu imekuwa si jambo rahisi.
Kinachoonekana ni kwamba kwa sasa wanaelekea Kutoka utafutaji kwa kutumia jia za barabara za vichochoroni "panya roads" (udokozi na ukibaka ), na kuja Main Roads ( uvamizi wa waziwazi na Mchana kweupe).

Panya roads ( wezi na vibaka ), wamejifunza kitu Kimoja , nacho ki kwamba Mapanya ( Mafisadi) yanayopora kwa kutumia ofisi za Umma (Main roads), hayachukuliwi hatua na wana hati miliki ya Taifa hili. Kwa ufupi Mafisadi wako juu ya sheria.

 

[Salary Slip]

CC:Kikwete.

 

[MPIGA ZEZE]

Maadili kama haya ndio yalikuwa yamejumuishwa katika Rasimu ya Warioba iii kuleta nidhamu katika utawala. Rais au Waziri (tena maprofesa) anapokea 'zawadi' kutoka kwa wezi wa pesa za umma au wauza madawa ya kulevya na bado haoni aibu kutetea eti ni halali, hajafanya kosa lo lote!

 

[TUJITEGEMEE]

CC:Kikwete.

Aliyetoa zawadi ya suti 5 kwa jamaa alikuwa mfanya biashara kweli...!?

 

[nyamchele]

Bob McDonnell, the former governor of the US State of Virginia, has been sentenced to two years in prison for taking nearly $170,000 (£111,000) in money and gifts in exchange for promoting a dietary supplement while he was in office.

McDonnell, a rising star of the Republican party who was once on the short list to be Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate in 2012 was sentenced on Tuesday after being convicted of 11 counts of corruption.

The relatively light sentence caused surprise in many quarters after prosecutors recommended a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, requesting the judge to send a clear signal to government officials that corruption would not pay.

McDonnell received a two year custodial sentence and two years’ probation from a US District Judge sitting in Richmond. Defence lawyers for the former governor had asked the judge to order three years of community service.

“No one wants to see the governor of Virginia in this kind of trouble,” the judge, James Spencer, said before imposing sentence. “It breaks my heart, but a meaningful sentence must be imposed.”

• 
  

The former governor and his wife, Maureen, were found guilty in September. She was convicted of eight counts and will be sentenced in February. Mr McDonnell immediately announced he planned to appeal the sentence.
The six-week jury trial exposed details of the former first couple's strained marriage and shaky finances.
McDonnell and his wife were charged with receiving $177,000 in loans and gifts from Jonnie Williams Sr, a dietary supplement entrepreneur, in exchange for promoting his company's main product, the anti-inflammatory Anatabloc.
Sixty per cent of Virginia adults believed McDonnell should go to prison, according to a poll in October by the University of Mary Washington's Center for Leadership and Media Studies.
Trial prosecutors contended McDonnell and his wife conspired to use the governor's office to boost Williams' company, Star Scientific Inc, and Anatabloc.
Gifts to the couple included a $6,500 Rolex watch, wedding and engagement presents, money for McDonnell's daughters, and golf outings and equipment.
Williams provided a $50,000 loan and a $15,000 "gift" to cover wedding expenses. He also gave a $70,000 loan to a corporation that the governor and his sister used to manage beach properties.
Shortly after the hearing, McDonnell, who has a month to report to prison, thanked the judge for "the mercy he showed me today", but continued to deny any wrong-doing.
"I am a fallen human being. I have made mistakes in my life... But I have never betrayed my sacred oath of office while I served the commonwealth," he said.


SOURCE: Former Republican rising star Bob McDonnell jailed over corruption scandal - Telegraph

Huku kwetu watu wanawekwa viporo tu............

 

[Precise Pangolin]

Kesi ndogo kama hii wenzetu wanakula Nyundo mbili lakini hapa kwetu Scandal la ESCROW wahusika wanapewa certificate na Uaminifu na Rais

 

[Lancashire]

Ndio tushangae huku kwetu majizi yanaachiwa huru kwa kukwapua mabilioni.hata kifungo cha nje Tu hakuna.

 

[Bome-e]

Ndio tushangae huku kwetu majizi yanaachiwa huru kwa kukwapua mabilioni.hata kifungo cha nje Tu hakuna.

haijafika hata m300,huku watu wanalamba bilions halafu wapo tu

 

[Bravo Mike]

Mbona nilifikiri A governor wa US state ni mtu mkubwa sana, inakuaje amehadaika na pesa ndogo namna hiyo ? Nashindwa kui-digest..!

 

[Abunuas]

sentesi iliyonishangaza zaidi ni hii hapa; Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, a Democrat, said that McDonnell could have been a Republican contender for president in 2016.
Hivi kweli kwa huku kwetu inawezekana kweli kumhukumu tena mgombea urais mtarajiwa kama pinda, lowassa, membe?
ama kweli wenzetu hawacheki na nyani.

 

[Taso]

Kesi ndogo kama hii wenzetu wanakula Nyundo mbili lakini hapa kwetu Scandal la ESCROW wahusika wanapewa certificate na Uaminifu na Rais

Halafu sasa bro, ukisoma wanachosema ndio favor Governor alimfanyia huyo jamaa yani kwetu is nothing! Nothing! Eti Gavana ame promote kampuni ya jamaa kwa kufanya ki event state house na ku lobby product yake ifanyiwe utafiti. Sasa hapa bongo mara ngapi Pinda na Mawaziri na Wabunge huwa wanaenda kwenye ma event vya promotion ya Voda na Exim Bank na Azam na n.k n.k Rais anakutana na mfanyabiashara Ikulu. Jamani, huwezi kuona James Cameroon au Barack Obama amekutana na mfanyabiashara Whitehouse, watamwambia whoa whoa whoa.... What the eff is going on here? Haiwezekani!

Hapa Tanzania eti law makers, wabunge, wanapewa vocha za bure na Voda na Airtel n.k....Mbona mnaji cheapen namna hiyo, mbona sisi makapuku tusiopewa hayo maposho ya malaki na mamilioni tunamudu vi tigo vyetu bila kupewa bure na makampuni? Makamu wa Rais, Waziri Mkuu, unaende kuzindua shughuli ya kampuni binafsi!

 

[kui]

Ndg Yangu Wenzetu Hawana mchezo na Maadili. Hapa kwetu tulitegemea Prof. Tibaijuka awe mfano wa Kuigwa kwenye swala la kutopokea zawaidi, vifurushi na Michango toka kwa Wafanyabiashara wenye Janja Janja.

Uhitaji kuwa na degree kuwa Prof.Tiba alikiuka Miiko ya uongozi. Kinachosubiliwa ni Je Kuvuliwa U-waziri tu inatosha na ndio adhabu sitaiki kwa Tibaijuka. Nadhani kuna ulazima wa kwenda Mbali zaidi ya hapo ili liwe fundisho kwa wengine.

Na Je tujiulize aliyekuwa anatoa 1.6b kwa watu tofauti tofauti Malengo yake ilikuwa nini?? na Je tuache mambo yeishe hivyo na ndio uwe utamaduni wa taifa letu. Piga Dili wakikushitukia unaachia ngazi tu, unaendela kula pesa na maisha yanasonga mbele.

Ni vema termination or any resignation from public service iendane na uchunguzi na mwisho wa siku Mkono wa sheria uchukue mkondo wake. Watu wapigwe mvua ( fail) ili ambitions za Siasa kwa lengo la Kupora Mali za Umma lisiwe kimbilio la wengi.

Watanzania bado tunasubiria tuone Mtoa pesa na mpokea pesa zilizokuwa zikigawiwa kama mali ya Marehemu ni hatua gani zimechukuliwa ili angalau si tu haki itendeke bali pia tunataka tuone ikitendeka.

Bila watu Kufungwa wizi na ujambazi wa Mali za umma itaendelea kuwa (culture),utamaduni wa taifa hili.Panya roads (Wanyonge), wanaendela kupoteza matumaini huku wenye nafasi wakipiga madili tena ya ma-biliione ya fedha.

Panya roads (Vijana na Wanyonge ), wanaelekea kukosa uvumilivu, hivyo mamlaka zinazohusika chukueni hatua kurudisha imani kwa Panya roads.

Hizi ni dalili ya kwamba panya roads wameshindwa kupata hata vibarua vya kuuza maji na kubeba tofali, hivyo kwao kuionya Keki ya taifa kistaarabu imekuwa si jambo rahisi.
Kinachoonekana ni kwamba kwa sasa wanaelekea Kutoka utafutaji kwa kutumia jia za barabara za vichochoroni "panya roads" (udokozi na ukibaka ), na kuja Main Roads ( uvamizi wa waziwazi na Mchana kweupe).

Panya roads ( wezi na vibaka ), wamejifunza kitu Kimoja , nacho ki kwamba Mapanya ( Mafisadi) yanayopora kwa kutumia ofisi za Umma (Main roads), hayachukuliwi hatua na wana hati miliki ya Taifa hili. Kwa ufupi Mafisadi wako juu ya sheria.

Well said mkuu!, the difference between Panya road and Escrow is, the former is a blue collar crime and the latter a white collar crime, unfortunately in our country, those who're considered "wenye nazo" are gods!, they can steal whatever they want, kill whomever they want with no consequences, na uzuri wa Wenzetu ni huu, you Eff up!, you get Effed up as well!, (excuse my french)

 

[kui]

Halafu sasa bro, ukisoma wanachosema ndio favor Governor alimfanyia huyo jamaa yani kwetu is nothing! Nothing! Eti Gavana ame promote kampuni ya jamaa kwa kufanya ki event state house na ku lobby product yake ifanyiwe utafiti. Sasa hapa bongo mara ngapi Pinda na Mawaziri na Wabunge huwa wanaenda kwenye ma event vya promotion ya Voda na Exim Bank na Azam na n.k n.k Rais anakutana na mfanyabiashara Ikulu. Jamani, huwezi kuona James Cameroon au Barack Obama amekutana na mfanyabiashara Whitehouse, watamwambia whoa whoa whoa.... What the eff is going on here? Haiwezekani!

Hapa Tanzania eti law makers, wabunge, wanapewa vocha za bure na Voda na Airtel n.k....Mbona mnaji cheapen namna hiyo, mbona sisi makapuku tusiopewa hayo maposho ya malaki na mamilioni tunamudu vi tigo vyetu bila kupewa bure na makampuni? Makamu wa Rais, Waziri Mkuu, unaende kuzindua shughuli ya kampuni binafsi!

....na hata kwenye campaigns zao za uchaguzi kwenye fund raising wanaangalia nani wa kumkaribisha na nani wa kumwacha, na kama umekuwa invited and then your money becomes questionable?!, they dis you and yo money!