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Former US Senator Edwards Charged Over Illegal Campaign Funds

   VOA News  June 03, 2011
   In this Dec. 11, 2010 file photo, former Democratic presidential
   candidate John Edwards is seen in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Photo: AP

   In this Dec. 11, 2010 file photo, former Democratic presidential
   candidate John Edwards is seen in Raleigh, North Carolina.

   A federal grand jury has indicted former U.S. Senator and presidential
   candidate John Edwards on charges he violated campaign finance laws by
   using political donations to keep an extramarital affair secret.
   The case includes six counts: one count of conspiracy, four counts of
   illegal campaign contributions and one count of false statements. It
   was filed on Friday in Edwards' home state of North Carolina.
   Reports that Edwards' lawyer, Gregory Craig, would be in North Carolina
   Friday had fueled speculation that federal prosecutors were ready to
   indict Edwards or were negotiating a plea agreement with him in order
   to avoid a trial. Edwards resides in North Carolina and was elected to
   the U.S. Senate from there in 1998.
   The case centers on money paid to Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter,
   with whom he fathered a child, and to a former aide, Andrew Young, who
   previously claimed paternity of the girl.
   The money came from two wealthy supporters of Edwards' 2008
   presidential campaign, and prosecutors say the funds should have been
   reported as campaign donations. His lawyers said he did not break the
   law. They said the money was a gift that was intended to keep the
   affair secret from his wife, Elizabeth.
   Elizabeth Edwards died last year after a long battle with cancer.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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