Former Presidential candidate John Edwards was indicted on Friday, June 3, 2011 on federal campaign finance charges. He had been in plea negotiations with the United States Justice Department, but no agreement could be reached.
The indictment stems from Edwards supposed giving of money from political donors to his former campaign aide and to his mistress, in a possible attempt to cover up his extramarital affair with Rielle Hunter. The legal issue is that because keeping the extramarital affair a secret helped Edwardsâ presidential campaign, those money transfers ought to have been publicly disclosed to comply with federal law. He has now been charged with violating federal campaign finance laws.
<h2>Federal campaign finance law is very complex</h2>
As criminal defense attorneys that practice both Michigan law and Federal law, we know that federal campaign finance law is very complex and there are often multiple versions to the same story.
Edwardsâ lawyers have publicly defended him, saying that the federal governmentâs case against Edwards will be hard to prove. They also feel this is a matter for the Federal Election Commission, rather than a federal criminal court.
If you are facing a state of Michigan or federal criminal charge, we recommend speaking with an expert defense lawyer. Having a lawyer will help to protect you from overzealous criminal prosecution. Tough attorneys with proven results are critical to the outcome of criminal cases in Michigan state courts and in the Federal Courts in Michigan.