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Former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell leaves the federal courthouse in Richmond. (Bob Brown via AP)
This post has been updated:
Bob McDonnell is about to join an exclusive but infamous club.
McDonnell, the first Virginia governor ever to be convicted of a felony, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison. McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were convicted in September of trading the influence of the governor’s office for gifts, vacations and loans.
A look at some other recent governors who ended up behind prison bars:
[h=5]Rod Blagojevich[/h]Former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich (Joe Amon, The Denver Post, via AP)
Blagojevich, the Democratic governor of Illinois from 2002 to 2009, is serving a 14-year sentence at a federal prison in Colorado. He was convicted in 2011 on several corruption charges, including allegations that he tried to sell or trade President Obama’s Senate seat.
[h=5]Edward DiPrete[/h]Former Rhode Island governor Edward DiPrete, pictured in 1998. (Matt York, AP)
DiPrete, the Republican governor of Rhode Island from 1985 to 1991, pleaded guilty to 18 felony counts of bribery, extortion and racketeering. Charges against the governor’s son, Dennis, were dropped. (The DiPretes were originally indicted on 24 counts, and the son did not serve jail time.)
[h=5]Edwin Edwards[/h]Former Louisiana governor and congressman Edwin Edwards (Bill Feig, AP)
Edwards, a colorful Democrat and Louisiana governor, served eight years for a bribery and extortion. Edwards, released from prison in 2011, was unsuccessful in his comeback bid for Congress last year.
[h=5]Arch Moore Jr.[/h]Former West Virginia governor Arch Moore Jr. (Craig Cunningham via AP)
Moore, a Republican who served as West Virginia’s governor, pleaded guilty in 1990 to five felony charges that he accepted illegal payments during his campaigns. Moore served three years of his sentence before he was released.
[h=5]John Rowland[/h]Former Connecticut governor John Rowland (Jessica Hill, AP)
Rowland, a Republican who served as Connecticut governor from 1995 to 2004, is awaiting sentencing for a second conviction. A jury convicted him in September for his role in an election fraud case. Rowland resigned as governor in 2004 after pleading guilty to corruption charges, and he served 10 months in prison.
[h=5]George Ryan[/h]Former Illinois governor George Ryan (M. Spencer Green, AP)
The former Illinois governor, a Republican, served more than<span style="color: Red;">*</span>five years in prison following his conviction of racketeering, conspiracy, tax fraud and making false statements to the FBI in 2006. He was released from state custody, which included home confinement, in July 2013.
Note: In addition to Blagojevich and Ryan, former Illinois governors Dan Walker and Otto Kerner also did prison time for misdeeds.
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