Bridgegate conspirator blames Christie's "cult and culture" before jail time

NEWARK, NJ – One of the conspirators behind the George Washington Bridge road closure scandal has blamed Chris Christie's "cult and culture" before being sentenced on Tuesday to 18 month in federal prison.

The strange political clash, known as Bridgegate, was intended to help the Republican governor's career, but ended up interrupting his march to the White House.

History continues below

Bill Baroni, a former Republican state senator who was named to Christie's first place at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was convicted in November 2016 after a dramatic trial of six weeks in federal court.

When appearing before US District Court Judge Susan Wigenton on Tuesday, Baroni testified that he assumed full responsibility for what he had done, although he blamed his actions in the rigorous political style imposed by the faithful to Christie. Prior to his appointment to the staff of the two-state Port Authority, Baroni said he thought he had a clear idea of ​​"good and bad."

"When I went to work at the port authority – when I went to work for Chris Christie – this line disappeared. I wanted to be part of the team. I wanted to make him happy, "Baroni told the court. "I chose to be sucked into his worship and culture."

Baroni said he had done nothing to stop the political ploy, which involved closing the busiest lanes in the world, to cause serious traffic problems for several days in September 2013.

Baroni said that he was ready to be punished and that he wanted to work to be forgiven.

"I'm broke, so much good that I've done in my life, I've destroyed it," said Baroni, crying openly as he showed up to face the court. "J & # I deeply disappointed my friends, my family, and my father, I am very sorry. "

Tuesday's court appearance comes nearly two years after Baroni was sentenced to 24 months in prison by the same judge. Baroni and her co-defendant, Bridget Anne Kelly, subsequently appealed their convictions and were able to convince a federal court of appeal to overturn some of the charges against them, thereby opening the door to a shorter stay in prison.

"The facts have not changed," said Wigenton, calling the crimes "scandalous protest" and "abuse of power."

She also ordered Baroni to complete a year of supervised release, 500 hours of community service and pay nearly $ 22,000 in fines and restitution.

In a November ruling, a panel of Third Circuit judges upheld the seven-wire fraud and conspiracy charges against Baroni and Kelly, but dismissed two civil rights convictions.

Kelly, who was one of Christie's assistant chiefs of staff, continues to fight against her conviction, hoping to plead her case in the US Supreme Court. She had already been sentenced to 18 months.

With the help of a third conspirator, David Wildstein, who pleaded guilty and testified against the others, Baroni and Kelly helped orchestrate a plan to close the local access roads to the bridge, blocking traffic for hours in the densely populated city of Bergen, in Bergen County. Fort Lee. The plan was to punish the mayor of Fort Lee, who refused to approve Christie, a Republican, in his bid for reelection.

Christie has never been charged and insists that it has nothing to do with the ploy. But the testimony at the trial painted an unflattering picture of his administration and undermined his presidential aspirations. Some evidence also contradicted Christie's earlier statements about when he was informed of the closure of the track.

Before the conviction on Tuesday, Baroni and his lawyers acknowledged that Baroni "must go to jail" for what he did and that other politicians should receive a message. However, they hoped for a shorter term.

Lawyer Carlos Ortiz has called Bridgegate "one of the most silly stunts in the history of New Jersey politics".

"Bill understands that he has to go to jail and that you have to send a message to other politicians in that state telling them that when you engage in this type of behavior, you go to jail," Ortiz told the judge. .

Federal prosecutors had urged Wigenton to consider imposing the same 24-month sentence as it had imposed in 2017 – just above the new range of prescribed 12 to 18 month markings. Baroni, they argued, did not accept full responsibility for his actions, thus downplaying his role in the scandal.

"What he has acknowledged is far less than what really happened," said US Deputy Attorney Lee Cortes.

He said that Baroni's claim that he had gone astray was true.

"But to say it like that is not just about the conscious choices that he has made over and over again," Cortes said.