Edwards charged in affair cover up

Jun 3, 2011, 15:54 GMT

Washington - Former presidential candidate John Edwards was indicted Friday on charges related to the misuse of campaign funds to cover up an affair.

Edwards, 58, was due to appear in a federal court in his home state of North Carolina to hear the charges levied against him, the US Justice Department said.

They include conspiracy to violate the campaign finance laws and making false statements, accepting illegal campaign contributions and concealing those donations from election officials, the Justice Department said.

Edwards has been under investigation for two years. The probe stems from the alleged diversion of nearly 1 million dollars in donations to his 2008 presidential run toward support for his mistress and to hide the relationship.

'The payments at issue were used to facilitate Edwards' extra-marital affair, and to conceal it and the resulting pregnancy from the public,' the Justice Department said.

The money was used to pay for the living and medical expenses for the mistress, Rielle Hunter, and for travel and accommodations to hide her from the media, the Justice Department said.

Each charge carries a maximum five-year prison sentence and a 250,000-dollar fine.

After dropping out of the race he admitted to the affair. Later, he also admitted to fathering a child with his mistress, all while his wife, Elizabeth, was battling cancer. She died in December.

The affair ruined his public image and political career. Elizabeth's death left him to parent his two youngest children alone.

Edwards was the Democratic Party's vice presidential nominee in 2004, and had previously represented his state in the Senate. Politico, a political news website, reported negotiations for a plea deal between Edwards' attorneys and prosecutors prior to issuing the indictment collapsed.

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