Judge upholds most convictions against 2 in N.J. 'Bridgegate' scandal

Nov. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday upheld parts of convictions for two members of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's staff in the "Bridgegate scandal."

The decision may clear the way for the former members, Bill Baroni and Bridget Kelly, to be sent to prison, NJ.com reported.

The court, though, did dismiss parts of the convictions connected with civil rights violations against the pair.

The case involves the snarling of traffic on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge in 2013, some say as political retribution. Authorities accused Baroni and Kelly of cooking up the scheme to cause massive traffic jams in Fort Lee, N.J., because Mayor Mark Sokolich did not endorse Christie's re-election bid.

Baroni, the former deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and Kelly, then Christi's deputy chief of staff, were convicted in November 2016 in the case.

In March 2017, Kelly was sentenced to 18 months while Baroni received a 24-month sentence in separate hearings, along with 500 hours of community service each. The case haunted Christie's final years as governor and may have prevented his Republican presidential bid from gaining traction.

David Wildstein, a veteran Republican political operative and the accused mastermind of the plot, pleaded guilty to federal charges in the case, North Jersey.com reported. Christie strongly denied knowing anything about the scheme.

In his plea deal, Wildstein was sentenced to three years of probation for his testimony against Baroni and Kelly. Wildstein had testified that he wanted to impress Christie and earn a spot on his future presidential campaign with the bridge scheme.

On Feb. 3, 2013, the Fort Lee side of the bridge saw reduced lane access without warning to city officials, causing a colossal traffic jam.