John Edwards NOT GUILTY, count 3, mistrial other five counts

6-13-12
UPDATE 
Per CNN, John Edwards will not be retried. Keep reading for the original story...





Is it over? Yes, in a sense.  John Edwards is free and the government's corruption case is virtually over.  John Edwards was found not guilty on count 3 of the charges against him, and the jury hung on all other five counts.

The judge in the case granted the Defense's motion for a mistrial. Prosecutors could retry the other five counts.  Not very likely they would.

From CNN the charges were:

Count 1: Conspiracy (maximum 5-year sentence)

Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina, is accused of conspiring to receive and conceal contributions in excess of the allowed limits from Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and Fred Baron, a now-deceased Texas lawyer who was Edwards' finance chairman. Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, the most an individual could contribute to any candidate in 2008 was $2,300 in the primary election and $2,300 in the general election.

Prosecutors argued that Edwards, while a candidate for federal office, accepted $725,000 from Mellon and more than $200,000 from Baron. Counts 2-5 reflect that accusation.

Count 2: Illegal campaign contributions (maximum 5-year sentence)

Edwards is accused of receiving contributions from Mellon in excess of federal limits in 2007.

Count 3: Illegal campaign contributions (maximum 5-year sentence)

Edwards is accused of receiving contributions from Mellon in excess of of federal limits in 2008.

Count 4: Illegal campaign contributions (maximum 5-year sentence)

Edwards is accused of receiving contributions from Baron in excess of federal limits in 2007.

Count 5: Illegal campaign contributions (maximum 5-year sentence)

Edwards is accused of receiving contributions from Baron in excess of of federal limits in 2008.

Count 6: False statements (maximum 5-year sentence)

Edwards is accused of hiding from his presidential committee the hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from Mellon and Baron, causing that committee to create and submit inaccurate campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission.

I was a fan of John Edwards in his runs for president. I was saddened when the tabloid (which I won't name) revealed his affair with Rielle Hunter.  Then here comes the baby...all the while his wife Elizabeth is battling cancer once again.  It seems like this trial was all about getting him back for the affair, and nothing more.

I may be the only person who did not feel that John was always trifling and cheated throughout the Edwards's 30 year marriage. For some reason I felt that the Rielle thing happened in a very vulnerable time for him...I may be wrong.

However, I am a staunch supporter of faithful marriages.  Adultery disgusts me.  It tears at the family structure and scars people who had no choice in the matter.