The US Supreme Court on Thursday overturned the convictions of former Chris Christie aide Bridget Anne Kelly and former Port Authority exec Bill Baroni for their involvement in the “Bridgegate” scandal.
Kelly was sentenced to 13 months and Baroni to 18 months for the September 2013 traffic jam, in which they reduced the George Washington Bridge to just one lane, causing major backups for four days.
The pair was convicted of hatching the plan, along with PA exec David Wildstein, to exact political revenge against Democratic Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for refusing to endorse Republican New Jersey Gov. Christie’s re-election that year.
Kelly, who has claimed she was made a scapegoat by then-Governor Christie, notoriously wrote in an email, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”
Kelly, 47, and Baroni, 48, were found guilty on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud and fraud in November 2016.
In a unanimous decision, the high court overturned the convictions, finding that while the pair were corrupt in carrying out the lane closures, which they claimed was part of a traffic study, Kelly and Baroni were not seeking money and therefore could not have violated federal wire fraud laws.
“The evidence the jury heard no doubt shows wrongdoing—deception, corruption, abuse of power,” Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan wrote in the decision.
“Because the scheme here did not aim to obtain money or property, Baroni and Kelly could not have violated the federal-program fraud or wire fraud laws,” the decision later continued.
Kelly and Baroni previously had their sentences reduced after an appeals court tossed two of the nine counts against them.
Baroni had begun serving his prison sentence but was released on bail last July while the case was being appealed. Kelly remained out pending appeal.
“Today, the Court gave me back my name and began to reverse the six-and-a-half-year nightmare that has become my life,” Kelly said in a prepared statement.
“Having been maligned, I now stand with my family and friends knowing that due process worked,” Kelly said. “While this may finally have made this case right for me, it does not absolve those who should have truly been held accountable.”
Baroni’s lawyer, Michael A. Levy said his client has maintained his innocence from the start.
“The Supreme Court’s decision today confirms that Bill was right,” Levy said. “Bill is, as he has always said, not guilty. Although the process of getting to this day has been an ordeal, Bill is heartened that the system ultimately worked, even as he recognizes how often it fails others who are less fortunate.
“At long last, Bill looks forward to moving on from this case and continuing his life of service.”
Attorney for the US Mark Coyne said, “The Supreme Court’s decision speaks for itself, and we are bound by that decision. Beyond that, we have no comment.”
Additional reporting by Joshua Rhett Miller