By Gary Robertson
RICHMOND, Va. (Reuters) - Former Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in federal prison and two years of probation for taking a bribe from a businessman seeking to promote a dietary supplement.
McDonnell, the first Virginia governor to be convicted of bribe-taking, received a shorter sentence than that sought by prosecutors for accepting sweetheart loans and lavish gifts from businessman Jonnie Williams.
McDonnell, once a rising star in the Republican Party, was convicted in September along with his estranged wife, Maureen, after a five-week trial that laid bare rifts in their marriage. McDonnell left office in January 2014.
"No one wants to see the governor of Virginia in this kind of trouble," U.S. District Judge James Spencer said before imposing sentence before a packed courtroom. "It breaks my heart, but a meaningful sentence must be imposed."
McDonnell, 60, was ordered to report to prison on Feb. 9. Defense attorneys asked that he be sent to a facility in Petersburg, Virginia, so he could be close to his family.
McDonnell appealed to Spencer for mercy, saying: I've admitted I am a sinner with many, many failures." After sentencing, McDonnell told reporters the conviction would be appealed.
Spencer cited McDonnell's military record and numerous letters he had received on his behalf in imposing the sentence. Eleven character witnesses testified for McDonnell, including former Democratic Governor L. Douglas Wilder.
Prosecutors had sought a 10- to 12-year prison term under advisory federal sentencing guidelines. McDonnell's lawyers had sought a community service sentence instead of prison time.
A jury found McDonnell guilty of 11 charges of public corruption in September. He and his wife were charged with receiving $177,000 in loans and gifts from Williams, the chief executive of Star Scientific Inc, in exchange for promoting his company's main product, the anti-inflammatory Anatabloc.
Gifts to the couple included a $6,500 Rolex watch, wedding and engagement presents, money for McDonnell's daughters, and golf outings and equipment.
Williams, who was granted immunity in exchange for testifying for the prosecution, provided a $50,000 loan and a $15,000 "gift" to cover wedding expenses. He also gave a $70,000 loan to a corporation that the governor and his sister used to manage beach properties.
Maureen McDonnell, 60, was convicted of nine counts, but Spencer dismissed the obstruction of justice charge last month.
The former first lady is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 20.
(Reporting by Gary Robertson, writing by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Bill Trott, Will Dunham, Sandra Maler and Peter Cooney)