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Christie Ally May Be Spared Jail in Bridge Scandal Christie Ally May Be Spared Prison in Bridge Scandal
(about 4 hours later)
Federal prosecutors have recommended that David Wildstein, one of the main players in the so-called Bridgegate scandal, serve no prison time after he pleaded guilty and testified against his co-conspirators. Federal prosecutors recommended on Tuesday that David Wildstein, who has described himself as the mastermind of the so-called Bridgegate scandal, serve no prison time as a result of his testimony against his co-conspirators, which followed his guilty plea.
Mr. Wildstein is set to be sentenced in federal court in Newark on Wednesday, the last of the major figures to be caught up in the scandal. Mr. Wildstein, the last of the major figures to be caught up in a scandal that dealt a blow to the presidential ambitions of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, is set to be sentenced in federal court in Newark on Wednesday.
In a sentencing memo released on Tuesday, prosecutors noted that Mr. Wildstein could serve between 21 to 27 months in prison based on the charges, but asked that his sentence be reduced to probation because his testimony “led directly to the indictment and convictions” of two of his accomplices. In a sentencing memo released on Tuesday, prosecutors noted that Mr. Wildstein could serve 21 to 27 months in prison based on the charges but asked that his sentence be reduced to probation because his testimony “led directly to the indictment and convictions” of two of his accomplices.
The sentencing brief from Mr. Wildstein’s lawyers has not yet been released by the court, though it is unlikely that they would take issue with a noncustodial sentence. Mr. Wildstein, an official at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey who had been appointed by Mr. Christie, confessed to coming up with the scheme to close lanes near the George Washington Bridge in 2013 as payback to a New Jersey mayor who did not endorse Mr. Christie’s re-election bid.
Mr. Wildstein, who was a Port Authority official, confessed to coming up with the scheme to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge as political payback for a local mayor’s refusal to endorse the re-election bid of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. The Port Authority operates the bridge, one of the world’s busiest crossings, and the lane closures created a traffic nightmare in Fort Lee, N.J., ensnaring school buses and emergency vehicles in gridlock that backed up traffic heading to Manhattan for miles.
After initially stonewalling in testimony before state lawmakers who were investigating the lane closings, Mr. Wildstein pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy against civil rights. His testimony aided in the prosecution of two of his co-conspirators, Bridget Anne Kelly, a top aide to Mr. Christie, and Bill Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority. After initially stonewalling in testimony before state lawmakers who were investigating the lane closings, Mr. Wildstein pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy. His testimony aided in the prosecution of two co-conspirators, Bridget Anne Kelly, a top aide to Mr. Christie, and Bill Baroni, who had been the deputy executive director of the Port Authority.
“Were it not for Wildstein’s decision to cooperate and disclose the true nature of the lane reductions, there likely would have been no prosecutions related to the Bridge Scheme,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo. “Were it not for Wildstein’s decision to cooperate and disclose the true nature of the lane reductions, there likely would have been no prosecutions related to the bridge scheme,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.
Mr. Baroni and Ms. Kelly were both found guilty last year for their roles in the scandal and were sentenced to federal prison earlier this year: Mr. Baroni received two years, and Ms. Kelly received 18 months. They said they would appeal their sentences. A 116-page memo released on Tuesday that was prepared by Alan L. Zegas, Mr. Wildstein’s lawyer, also asked that he be granted probation based on the “breadth, duration and honesty of Mr. Wildstein’s cooperation and the important message to send that cooperation is an important aspect of rehabilitation.”
The memo includes dozens of letters written by “a few people who have known him for a long time and have been closest to him,” including relatives and co-workers.
Mr. Wildstein testified for eight days during the trial, offering the most critical evidence against Mr. Baroni and Ms. Kelly while admitting to devising the plot himself.
But he was also revealed to have played on the dirtier edges of New Jersey politics, having carried out many favors for his “constituent of one” — Mr. Christie — and blogged anonymously under the pseudonym Wally Edge.
Lawyers for Mr. Baroni and Ms. Kelly repeatedly tried to paint Mr. Wildstein as a liar who was shifting his testimony to try to avoid prison time.
“David Wildstein doesn’t want to do a day,” Michael Baldassare, a lawyer for Mr. Baroni, said during the trial last year. “And I will submit to you that he will say and do anything and dupe anyone to get back home.”
Some legal specialists noted that the recommendations for such an important witness to avoid serving time were not far out of line with most similar cases, although the fact that Mr. Wildstein was the architect of the plot, and that it drew worldwide attention, did make the case unusual.
“The only thing that makes the decision eye-catching is the fact that he was the mastermind of the entire plan and there was open recognition of that fact,” said Kip Cornwell, a professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law who specializes in criminal law and procedure. “It’s just the kind of high-profile nature of this and his extensive involvement that makes that, or creates a seeming impression of unfairness. But in fact, it’s not wildly out of step with what you see in other cases and not necessarily inappropriate.”
Mr. Baroni and Ms. Kelly were both found guilty last year for their roles in the scandal and were sentenced to federal prison this year. Mr. Baroni received two years, and Ms. Kelly received 18 months. They said they would appeal their sentences.
The memo from prosecutors is nonbinding. The final decision rests with Judge Susan D. Wigenton.