Former Connecticut Governor, John Rowland, Convicted Of Conspiracy
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CBSNewYork/AP) - A federal jury has convicted former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland on charges that he conspired to be paid for work on two political campaigns while disguising those payments in business deals.
It is the second felony conviction for Rowland, who resigned as governor a decade ago in a scandal over illegal gifts he received while in office, WCBS 880's Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported.
Former Connecticut Governor, John Rowland, Convicted Of Conspiracy
Prosecutors say Rowland was paid $35,000 to work on the 2012 campaign of Republican congressional candidate Lisa Wilson-Foley and conspired to hide those payments through a consulting contract with a business owned by her husband. They say he tried to strike a similar deal with another candidate in 2010.
The key to the government's case was the testimony of millionaire businessman Brian Foley, who said he paid Rowland $35,000 to work on the 2012 congressional campaign of his wife, Republican Lisa Wilson-Foley, but hid those payments through a consulting contract with Apple Health Care Inc., the nursing home chain he owned.
The Foleys each pleaded guilty in the spring to a misdemeanor of conspiring to make an illegal campaign donation in the form of the $35,000 in payments to Rowland.
Rowland's attorney said the contract with Apple was legitimate and the campaign work strictly voluntary.
Mattei said Rowland had tried to strike a similar arrangement in 2010 with another candidate, Mark Greenberg. Greenberg testified during the trial that he rejected hiring Rowland as a political consultant after the former governor asked to be paid up to $35,000 a month through his animal-rescue business.
Rowland, who had rebuilt his life as a radio show host after serving 10 months in prison, now faces the possibility of several years behind bars.
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