|
 During his third day on the witness stand, McDonnell said he
considered the businessman, dietary supplement entrepreneur Jonnie
Williams Sr., a friend.
“Mr. Williams had not asked me for anything, and he didn’t want me
to do anything. I didn’t think borrowing money from a friend was a
problem,” McDonnell, a Republican, said under defense questioning.
McDonnell said he did not put a $50,000 loan on a government
disclosure form because it was made out to MoBo Realty, a
corporation he and his sister used to manage their beach properties.
The governor also asked Williams for another $20,000 loan about two
months later, in May 2012.
The McDonnells have been charged with bribery and fraud in a
14-count indictment for allegedly taking $177,00 in gifts and loans
from Williams, in exchange for promoting his company and its dietary
supplement product, Anatabloc.
Williams testified for the prosecution that he wooed the McDonnells
to gain influence as he sought state-sponsored research for
Anatabloc.
In earlier testimony, McDonnell said he did not see anything
inappropriate about his wife receiving a $50,000 loan from Williams,
or Williams giving $15,000 for the wedding reception of the couple's
daughter.
Williams has testified that he worked with the governor to conceal
the $50,000 loan to MoBo Realty, but McDonnell said that the
conversation never occurred.
[to top of second column] |
The former governor testified this week that his marriage was so
frayed that he was no longer living with his wife. Defense lawyers
have contended the couple could not have conspired together since
their marriage was on the rocks.
In testimony about meeting with two state officials who deal with
health plans for state employees, McDonnell acknowledged that he had
taken out a bottle of Anatabloc and told them it had a positive
effect on him.
His memory was blurry, he said, on whether he told the officials to
contact representatives of Williams' company, Star Scientific Inc.
But Sara Wilson, head of Virginia’s Department of Human Resources
Management, has testified that her boss, who accompanied her to the
meeting, clearly believed that the governor wanted them to meet with
Star officials.
(Editing by Ian Simpson and Chris Reese)
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