Richmond, Va. – Lawyers for former governor Bob McDonnell have a lot of options for the judge who is about to sentence McDonnell on corruption charges.
McDonnell’s lawyers will argue that society is better off with McDonnell serving people than serving time behind bars.
A local charity is just one group that thinks the judge should sentence McDonnell to thousands of hours of community service instead of years in prison.
Since his conviction on federal corruption charges, hundreds of supporters have written letters to the judge.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, many of those letters suggested alternatives to prison time. Among time, Hampton Roads-based Operation Blessing, which said in a statement Tuesday that they offered to let McDonnell work on hunger relief out of its office in Bristol, as well as to do unpaid work in Haiti.
The Times-Dispatch is also reporting that the Catholic Diocese of Richmond and McDonnell’s alma mater, Notre Dame, also proposed the former governor do community service work in Haiti.
Another proposal would reportedly send McDonnell to Memphis to work with homeless veterans.
The Federal Probation Office recommended McDonnell serve at least 10 years in prison for accepting $177,000 in gifts and loans from businessman Johnnie Williams, who was trying to promote his dietary supplement.
According to the Times-Dispatch report, McDonnell’s lawyers want him to serve between 5,000-6,000 hours of community service for no pay instead.
McDonnell will be sentenced on January 6th. Former First Lady Maureen McDonnell faces sentencing on February 20th.
