Bridget Anne Kelly and Bill Baroni leaving federal court after sentencing in Newark last year. (Julio Cortez | AP file photos)
Ted Sherman reports for NJ.com:
A federal appeals court today upheld a major part of the convictions of two members of former Gov. Chris Christie’s inner circle in the high-profile Bridgegate scandal of political retribution that played out five years ago on the world’s busiest bridge.
However, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia threw out a part of the case dealing with civil rights violations against the two former Christie associates.
The ruling will likely mean that both Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly will now face prison. Both have remained free since their trial pending the appeal.
In its 78-page ruling, the court said federal prosecutors presented evidence sufficient to prove that the two fraudulently obtained the labor of public employees, and in a harsh rebuke, said there was no “legitimate justification” for Baroni and Kelly’s conduct.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office said it was “reviewing the opinion and is grateful for the court’s consideration of all of the issues raised in the appeal.”
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