June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Former presidential candidate John Edwards was found not guilty on one charge and a jury was unable to decide on five other counts alleging he used illegal campaign contributions to hide an extramarital affair.
A federal jury of four women and eight men in Greensboro, North Carolina, yesterday found Edwards not guilty of one count of violating campaign finance laws. On that charge, the government alleged that in January 2008, about the same time he withdrew from the campaign, Edwards knowingly accepted more money from campaign donor Rachel "Bunny" Mellon than was allowed by law.
U.S. District Judge Catherine Eagles declared a mistrial on the five other counts. The Justice Department isn't likely to retry Edwards, said a person familiar with the matter who wasn't authorized to discuss the case publicly and didn't want to be identified.
Edwards, a Democrat who was U.S. Senator John Kerry's running mate in the 2004 presidential election, faced a maximum of 30 years in prison if convicted on all counts. The government has the option of retrying him. The jury declined to publicly discuss the case.
Edwards, who didn't testify, appeared on the courthouse steps after the verdict flanked by his oldest daughter, Cate, and his parents. He thanked his family for standing with him throughout the case and acknowledged Frances Quinn, the daughter he fathered with his mistress, Rielle Hunter.
"My precious Quinn," Edwards said. "I love her more than you could ever imagine."
"While I do not believe I did anything illegal or ever thought I was doing anything illegal, I did an awful, awful lie," Edward told reporters. "there is no one else responsible for my sins."
Unemployed Filmmaker
Prosecutors alleged Edwards used almost $1 million in payments from Mellon, a 101-year-old multimillionaire heiress, and Fred Baron, a now-deceased trial attorney, to conceal his affair with Hunter, an unemployed filmmaker. The case marks the first time the government has prosecuted someone for campaign violations when money was paid to a third party.
The donations, in 2007 and 2008, were used to cover rent, medical visits and prenatal expenses for Hunter, in addition to travel and hotel accommodations to hide her from the public.
Prosecutors declined to comment on yesterday's verdict. Abbe Lowell, an attorney for Edwards, also declined to comment. Alisa Finelli, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said she had no comment.
"This case was a monumental waste of time from day one," said Kenneth Gross, a former lawyer for the Federal Election Commission who's now a partner at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP in Washington. "The case should never have been brought."
Nine Days
Jurors deliberated for nine days before reaching a verdict. Their initial notes to the judge requested exhibits that focused on Mellon, including an April 2007 letter Mellon sent suggesting Edwards send her "all bills" necessary and important for his campaign. The note was sent after media reports criticizing the price of Edwards's haircuts.
"The verdict reflects a struggle that the jury appears to have had in finding some clear cut evidence of criminality," said Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor who's now a partner with McCarter & English LLP. "They could not agree, no matter how morally reprehensible his conduct was, that it added up to a criminal violation."
Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina and presidential contender in 2008, was indicted last June after a two-year investigation. He has claimed that he never thought he was breaking the law and that the disputed payments were gifts, the fruit of his pre-existing friendships with Mellon and Baron.
Ex-Campaign Aide
