WASHINGTON, DC     5/7/2020     10:44am(est)

 

 

 

On Thursday the Supreme Court reversed the fraud convictions against two former aides of former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, for the roles they allegedly played in the “Bridgegate” scandal back in 2013. Christie allegedly had commuter lanes shut down on the George Washington Bridge as a way to punish the city of Fort Lee’s Mayor for refusing to back Christie in his reelection bid.

 

 

 

MSNBC (@msnbc) reported, the court’s decision to overturn was unanimous. Justice Elena Kegan wrote for the court

Former Christie Aides, Bridgette Anne Kelly and William Baroni, “could not have violated the federal-program fraud or wire fraud laws, because the scheme did not aim to obtain money or property.” Kegan also wrote that the evidence “no doubt shows wrongdoings, deception, corruption, and abuse of power. But the federal fraud statutes at issue do not criminalize all such conduct. Under settled precedent, the officials could violate those laws only if an object of their dishonesty was to obtain the Port Authority’s money or property.”

 

 

baroni and kelly

BRIDGETTE KELLY & WILLIAM BARONI

 

 

Kelly was sentenced to 13 months in prison last year. Baroni was sentenced to 18 months in prison, and had started serving that term in 2019, before being released after the Supreme Court said that it would take Kelly’s appeal. The court accepted Kelly’s appeal two weeks before she was set to begin her prison sentence.