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| 2 Ex-Christie Allies Are Convicted in George Washington Bridge Case | 2 Ex-Christie Allies Are Convicted in George Washington Bridge Case |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| NEWARK — A federal jury convicted two former aides to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey on Friday over a bizarre scheme to close access lanes to the George Washington Bridge as punishment against a mayor who declined to endorse the governor’s re-election. | NEWARK — A federal jury convicted two former aides to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey on Friday over a bizarre scheme to close access lanes to the George Washington Bridge as punishment against a mayor who declined to endorse the governor’s re-election. |
| The two defendants, Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, were each charged with seven counts of conspiracy and wire fraud, including misusing the resources of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, and violating the rights of the citizens of Fort Lee, N.J., to travel without government restriction when the closings gridlocked their town over five days in September 2013. | The two defendants, Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni, were each charged with seven counts of conspiracy and wire fraud, including misusing the resources of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, and violating the rights of the citizens of Fort Lee, N.J., to travel without government restriction when the closings gridlocked their town over five days in September 2013. |
| Though Ms. Kelly and Mr. Baroni were the only ones to be tried as a result of the scandal, the trial suggested that Mr. Christie, who has maintained that he knew nothing about the scheme until after it had ended, was deeply involved. A top ally and key prosecution witness testified that Mr. Christie, a Republican, was told of the lane closings as they were occurring, and Ms. Kelly said she discussed the shutdown with the governor before it happened. | |
| The scandal not only crippled Mr. Christie’s presidential candidacy this year, but also tarnished his reputation at a time when he has been a key player in Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign, named to lead his White House transition team and serving as a political surrogate. Mr. Christie is scheduled to campaign for Mr. Trump this weekend in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, two key battleground states, ahead of the election on Tuesday. | The scandal not only crippled Mr. Christie’s presidential candidacy this year, but also tarnished his reputation at a time when he has been a key player in Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign, named to lead his White House transition team and serving as a political surrogate. Mr. Christie is scheduled to campaign for Mr. Trump this weekend in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, two key battleground states, ahead of the election on Tuesday. |
| On Friday, Mr. Christie again denied any role in the scandal. “Let me be clear once again,” he said in a statement shortly after the verdicts were delivered. “I had no knowledge prior to or during these lane realignments, and had no role in authorizing them. No believable evidence was presented to contradict that fact.” | On Friday, Mr. Christie again denied any role in the scandal. “Let me be clear once again,” he said in a statement shortly after the verdicts were delivered. “I had no knowledge prior to or during these lane realignments, and had no role in authorizing them. No believable evidence was presented to contradict that fact.” |
| The crimes Ms. Kelly and Mr. Baroni were convicted of carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but the United States attorney for New Jersey, Paul J. Fishman, said before the trial that there was “no way” his office would recommend that Ms. Kelly and Mr. Baroni serve terms that long. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest a sentence of one to three years. Sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 21. | The crimes Ms. Kelly and Mr. Baroni were convicted of carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but the United States attorney for New Jersey, Paul J. Fishman, said before the trial that there was “no way” his office would recommend that Ms. Kelly and Mr. Baroni serve terms that long. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest a sentence of one to three years. Sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 21. |
| Mr. Baroni was stoic as the verdict was read, then turned and hugged his father and stepmother, who had sat through every day of the trial. Ms. Kelly began to quiver and cry as the jury foreman went through the counts and answered “guilty” on each one. | Mr. Baroni was stoic as the verdict was read, then turned and hugged his father and stepmother, who had sat through every day of the trial. Ms. Kelly began to quiver and cry as the jury foreman went through the counts and answered “guilty” on each one. |
| It appeared that it had been an emotional deliberation. As the foreman read the verdict, a juror in front of him covered her eyes with her hand. | It appeared that it had been an emotional deliberation. As the foreman read the verdict, a juror in front of him covered her eyes with her hand. |
| Afterward, the jurors remained silent and solemn as a team of court marshals escorted them to their cars. One juror, bleary-eyed and tearful, declined to give her name or discuss the case. “No comment, no comment, no comment,” she said, waving off reporters. | Afterward, the jurors remained silent and solemn as a team of court marshals escorted them to their cars. One juror, bleary-eyed and tearful, declined to give her name or discuss the case. “No comment, no comment, no comment,” she said, waving off reporters. |
| Facing a bank of reporters outside the courthouse, Ms. Kelly’s lawyer, Michael Critchley, put his arm around Ms. Kelly and said he would “absolutely” appeal. | Facing a bank of reporters outside the courthouse, Ms. Kelly’s lawyer, Michael Critchley, put his arm around Ms. Kelly and said he would “absolutely” appeal. |
| “I told Bridget this is the first step in the process,” Mr. Critchley said. “I assure you, we will have another news conference. It may take a year or two, but it will be a very different news conference.” | “I told Bridget this is the first step in the process,” Mr. Critchley said. “I assure you, we will have another news conference. It may take a year or two, but it will be a very different news conference.” |
| The jury had asked during deliberations whether a guilty verdict required them to find that the two defendants had intended to punish Fort Lee’s mayor, Mark J. Sokolich, a Democrat; Judge Susan D. Wigenton said no, raising howls of protest from defense lawyers, who argued that intent to punish had been included in the indictment and should be required for a guilty verdict. | The jury had asked during deliberations whether a guilty verdict required them to find that the two defendants had intended to punish Fort Lee’s mayor, Mark J. Sokolich, a Democrat; Judge Susan D. Wigenton said no, raising howls of protest from defense lawyers, who argued that intent to punish had been included in the indictment and should be required for a guilty verdict. |
| That issue will most likely form the heart of their appeal. | That issue will most likely form the heart of their appeal. |
| “The United States attorney’s office should be ashamed of this,” said Michael Baldassare, the lead lawyer for Mr. Baroni. “They said my client pursued a punitive objective against Mayor Sokolich. When it came time to put up at trial, they shut up. They said punishment doesn’t matter.” | “The United States attorney’s office should be ashamed of this,” said Michael Baldassare, the lead lawyer for Mr. Baroni. “They said my client pursued a punitive objective against Mayor Sokolich. When it came time to put up at trial, they shut up. They said punishment doesn’t matter.” |
| Mr. Fishman, the United States attorney for New Jersey, who succeeded Mr. Christie in the position, told reporters outside the courthouse that he took “no pleasure” in the verdict, and found it “sad, honestly” to see people in government use their power for personal or political gain. | Mr. Fishman, the United States attorney for New Jersey, who succeeded Mr. Christie in the position, told reporters outside the courthouse that he took “no pleasure” in the verdict, and found it “sad, honestly” to see people in government use their power for personal or political gain. |
| “It lends credence to the cynical notion that people have that people in government can’t and shouldn’t be trusted,” he said. | “It lends credence to the cynical notion that people have that people in government can’t and shouldn’t be trusted,” he said. |
| “There will be corruption because human nature is what human nature is,” he added. “I do believe that verdicts like this, prosecutions like this, investigations like this, send a message to people that we don’t tolerate it, that it’s not right, and that if you do it and we find out about it we will go after you as hard as we can.” | “There will be corruption because human nature is what human nature is,” he added. “I do believe that verdicts like this, prosecutions like this, investigations like this, send a message to people that we don’t tolerate it, that it’s not right, and that if you do it and we find out about it we will go after you as hard as we can.” |
| The scandal has been the biggest political corruption case in New Jersey in years, riveting a state that has a long history of official malfeasance and leaving Mr. Christie deeply unpopular among his constituents. | The scandal has been the biggest political corruption case in New Jersey in years, riveting a state that has a long history of official malfeasance and leaving Mr. Christie deeply unpopular among his constituents. |
| During the six-week trial here in federal court, the prosecution and the defense both portrayed the Christie administration as a relentlessly political operation in the service of a fiery-tempered and ambitious governor. | During the six-week trial here in federal court, the prosecution and the defense both portrayed the Christie administration as a relentlessly political operation in the service of a fiery-tempered and ambitious governor. |
| Aides began using government resources to seek political endorsements in 2010, the year Mr. Christie entered office, with an eye to winning not just a broad re-election victory in 2013, but also to the 2016 presidential race. | Aides began using government resources to seek political endorsements in 2010, the year Mr. Christie entered office, with an eye to winning not just a broad re-election victory in 2013, but also to the 2016 presidential race. |
| Ms. Kelly, who was deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, sent the blunt email that prosecutors said set off the scheme and, when it was made public by a legislative subpoena in 2014, the scandal: “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” | Ms. Kelly, who was deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, sent the blunt email that prosecutors said set off the scheme and, when it was made public by a legislative subpoena in 2014, the scandal: “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” |
| Mr. Baroni, once Mr. Christie’s top staff appointee at the Port Authority, had ignored increasingly agitated phone, text and email messages from the mayor of Fort Lee about “an urgent matter of public safety” there, with emergency vehicles, school buses and commuters stuck in catastrophic traffic jams. Mr. Christie had avidly but unsuccessfully sought endorsement for re-election from Mr. Sokolich. | Mr. Baroni, once Mr. Christie’s top staff appointee at the Port Authority, had ignored increasingly agitated phone, text and email messages from the mayor of Fort Lee about “an urgent matter of public safety” there, with emergency vehicles, school buses and commuters stuck in catastrophic traffic jams. Mr. Christie had avidly but unsuccessfully sought endorsement for re-election from Mr. Sokolich. |
| On the stand, both defendants said they had been duped by another Christie associate, David Wildstein, into believing that the lane closings were a legitimate traffic study. Mr. Wildstein, a secretive former political blogger, had been appointed as an enforcer for Mr. Christie at the Port Authority. Mr. Wildstein pleaded guilty to orchestrating the scheme and became the star witness for the government. | On the stand, both defendants said they had been duped by another Christie associate, David Wildstein, into believing that the lane closings were a legitimate traffic study. Mr. Wildstein, a secretive former political blogger, had been appointed as an enforcer for Mr. Christie at the Port Authority. Mr. Wildstein pleaded guilty to orchestrating the scheme and became the star witness for the government. |
| Mr. Wildstein testified that he had told Mr. Christie about the scheme at a Sept. 11 memorial service, in the middle of the lane closings. And Ms. Kelly testified that she had received the governor’s approval before sending the email triggering what she thought was the traffic study. | Mr. Wildstein testified that he had told Mr. Christie about the scheme at a Sept. 11 memorial service, in the middle of the lane closings. And Ms. Kelly testified that she had received the governor’s approval before sending the email triggering what she thought was the traffic study. |
| But prosecutors had drawn the charges tightly around the specific crime of closing the lanes and then covering up the scheme. At their urging, the judge had explicitly instructed the jury not to consider why other potential co-conspirators were not on trial. | But prosecutors had drawn the charges tightly around the specific crime of closing the lanes and then covering up the scheme. At their urging, the judge had explicitly instructed the jury not to consider why other potential co-conspirators were not on trial. |