By Richard Weizel
NEW HAVEN Conn. (Reuters) - Former Connecticut Governor John Rowland provided some consulting advice to a nursing home company owned by the husband of a congressional candidate whose campaign he also secretly advised, a witness testified at Rowland's trial on charges of violating U.S. campaign laws on Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors contend that Rowland signed a secret and illegal deal to be paid by Brian Foley's healthcare company as a cover while he advised Foley's wife Lisa Wilson-Foley on her 2012 run for Congress.
In his third day on the stand as the prosecution's star witness, Foley said that Rowland had provided some advice to the business but worked "primarily" for Wilson-Foley's unsuccessful campaign.
"That was quite minor and part of the cover for his real role for which he was hired, to pretty much run Lisa's campaign," Foley said under cross-examination by the defense.
Foley and Wilson-Foley in March pleaded guilty to conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions.
Defense attorney Reid Weingarten asked Foley about the deals the couple had reached with federal prosecutors once they realized they faced serious possible felony charges.
Foley said that getting caught by federal investigators had been "something I thought would never happen."
Rowland, 57, has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy, falsifying records in a federal investigation, causing false statements to be made to the Federal Election Commission and causing illegal campaign contributions.
He served 10 months in prison in 2006 for the corruption charges to which he previously pleaded guilty.
(Editing by Scott Malone and Eric Walsh)