RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s pension benefits can be taken away based on a law he signed while governor, according to a legal opinion issued Friday by Attorney General Mark Herring.
A jury in September found McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, guilty of doing favors for former Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans. The couple have been sentenced to prison but are currently free on appeals.
When he was governor, McDonnell signed into law a 2011 provision that strips government officials of their pensions if they are convicted of felony misconduct while in office.