prosecutors say the gifts and loans from richmond area businessman jonnie williams amounted to at least $165,000. mcdonnells denied wrongdoing in a press conference today. >> i come before you this evening as someone who has been falsely and wrongfully accused and his public service has been wrongfully attacked. while i deeply regret accepting these legal gifts and loans from mr. williams, all of these now have been returned or repaid with interest. >> prosecutors say the mcdonnells worked to lend the prestige of the governor's office to help jonnie williams' struggling firm which sold dietary is up mentales. mcdonnell is the first -- supplements. mcdonnell is the first virginia governor ever to face criminal charges. the state legislature should move to close any of the gray areas that helped lead to this 14 count indictment some say. >> we do need to insure that there's more transparency and a clearer set of rules for all virginia elected officials. >> while mcdonnell insisted he did nothing wrong, prosecutors say the governor attended events for jonnie williams on his behalf, provide

. >> they are accused of taking loans, really big loans, rights from, travel paid for by jonny williams, use of his vacation home. what the inindictmentment alleges again is that all of these gift pros vied to the mcdonnell's the governor and his wife in turn used state resources basically to promote this nutritional supplement that this donor, you know, that his business sells. so mrs. mcdonnell traveled to florida at one point from most the drug. there's emails in here from mcdonnell showing he wanted these drugs to be used at uva, jmu, vcu, state research facilities. so basically that is what's at stake here. the bigger picture here like you mentioned at the very beginning of the segment is how stunning this is and for two reasons. one, bob mcdonnell was a big star, brand nanl the republican party but also so disciplined. this is why this is so shocking. two i can tell you as somebody who grew up in richmond, virginia, this does not happen in the state of virginia. this is the first governor to face corruption charges like this. this just doesn't happen. there are notoriously lacks l

so does jonnie williams and his company. arundel county police identified the woman found dead on a golf course. diana hester was found by a man walking his dog at the golf course this morning. she was not wearing shoes. some of her clothing was unfastened. police are investigating whether this is a cold weather related death. thousands of people gathered to protest the 41st anniversary of roe v wade. the supreme court decision that legalized abortion. they march for life kicked off with a rally then protesters marched along constitutional avenue. organizers say the theme of the event was adoption. pope francis indicated his support for the march. he sent prayers to the marchers and asked god help us respect all life, especially live of the most vulnerable. up, recommending changes to ease long lines at the polls during the national election. >> after voters endured liaoning lines in the last election, a commission has come up with recommendations to reduce the wait time. the commission on election administration gave its re

this man, jonnie williams, it's alleged the former governor and first lady accepted more than $150,000 in cash and gifts ranging from golf equipment to private plane rides. the list goes on to include shopping sprees formore morine $15,000 for their daughter's graduation, a ferrari, a $6,500 rolex engraved watch, engraved with "71st governor of virginia." in return, mcdonnell is accused of using the power of his office by attending events to boost the company's credibility and he used the governor's mansion for a launch party for a pill not approved by the fda. >> while i deeply regret accepting these legal gifts and loans from mr. williams, all of these have been returned or repaid with interest. i have apologized for my poor judgment and i accept full responsibility for accepting these legal gifts and loan. however, i repeat again emphatically that i did nothing illegal for mr. williams in exchange for what i believe was his personal friendship and his generosity. i never promised and mr. williams and his company never received any government benefit of any kind from me or from my ad

he and his wife indicted on 14 charges from gifts they received from scientific ceo jonnie williams, that man and tried to get a delay saying one of his attorneys in the case was out of town celebrating his wife's birthday and only reachable by boat. the judge denied it. the latest coming up beginning in about 20 minutes. for now at the live desk, i'm scott mcfarland. >>> let's get right to the weather now. veronica, how low and how long are we talking? >> our temperatures stay sub-freezing in terms of high temperatures the rest of the week. i want to focus in on the overnight period and every consecutive overnight for the rest of the week and can't stress enough it will be icy, folks and slow down and be cautious on area roads tonight. and looking at the traffic across the woodrow wilson bridge, 5:18. when the sun goes down, we're talking slick conditions out there in terms of conditions and windchill readings, 8 degrees in leesburg. tell that to the folks in germantown and gaithersburg and feels like minus 2. 5 in d.c. and camp springs coming in at minus 1 right now. hourly forecas

they were accused of accepting gifts from jonnie williams, in exchange for promoting a company. he insisted that he did not break the law. someone who has been falsely and wrongly accused in his public service. i have been wrongfully attacked. both mcdonnell and the former first lady were charged with 14 felony accounts -- counts. mayor rob ford, how we have missed you. was caught doing in a mcdonald's and why people are not just talking about what he said but, how he said it. >> quacks and, we are on storm watch this morning. you are looking live at the d.c. area. car very slowly. roads hearing the primary in most places have been cleared and the secondary roads can be dicey. it is very cold out. we know there is ice on the roads. i could see all those puddles that were frozen over. >> right. you know, the colder temperatures are less affected but, that is something to keep in mind. we are under a wind chill advisory across the region on telecommuting today. we expected to diminish and temperatures to warm up. take a look at the current temperatures across the region. zero are

in exchange for legitimizing a dietary supplement for the company star scientific and its head jonnie williams. >> not a great thing to have happen for an election official, taking gifts from people. >> you have to be convicted first. an indictment do not -- does not mean he has been convicted. so let's wait and see. >> they were in dire straits financially and court documents show williams to willing to help . if it meant his product could be used in clinical trials or studies to give it credibility. insists it was innocent of saying i regret the jets and loans it -- regardless of any legal ramifications, it is a blow for a man some say was once poised for the white house. >> in terms of a scandal, it would make him difficult to pursue any future career. and hisormer governor wife are going to appear in court in richmond this friday. his successor issued a statement today calling this a "sad day" for virginia. theoming up on abc 7 news, problems the weather is having will get ans and we updated forecast. >> and the bizar >> a man is dead following a police chase this morning. news top or seve

. >> prosecutors say the mcdonnells worked -- [indiscernible] -- to help jonny williams and his struggling firm which sold dietary supplements. he's the first governor to ever face federal charges. the charges. >> we do need to ensure there's more transparency and a clear he set of rules for all virginia elected officials. >> while former governor mcdonnell insists he did nothing wrong, prosecutors say the governor attended events on jonny williams' behalf, provided access to top state officials and allowed the state mansion to be used for a launch party for williams' company. they say they also accuse virginia's first lady of lying to investigators. >>> our time is 5:13. we have a list of school closings and delays continually running at the bottom of our screen. you can always find them on our week site wusa9.com. >> the new and improved website is excellent and they're in alphabetical order. it's easy to find your district easily. howard has the forecast coming up next. teens and single digits throughout the day. mo ka has a check of the roads too. >> congratulations to this morning's f

they allegedly accepted g gifts, vations and loans from former star scientific ceo jonnie williams, who was seeking special treatment for his business. the indictment includes re fraud and false statements. mcdonnell calls the aegations falls and says he deeply regrets accepting gifts and loans. he says he takes responsibility for his poor judgment. according to a new report for bloomberg, canada has surpassed the u. for business friendlinessss. hong kong first, canada second and the u.s. third. last year canada was sixth and the u.s. second. the bloomberg ranking used ecomic integration, startup costs, labor and material costs, transportation, inflation and corruption as well as the consumer base. boeing is hiring contract workers. wants to avoid manufacturing issues that could slow overall output of theigh- tech plane. boeing is hiring about 300 contract mechanics, part of an effort to increase production, and investors like the sound of that. the company's stock price rose sharply when theen news broke. amazon.com has found a way to make deliveries even faster. amazon has filed for a

gifts his wife accepted from jonnie williams to promote the company. bob mcdonnell insisted that he did not break the law. face these false allegations with strength and firm resolve. >> the prosecutors charge that mcdonnell and the first lady with 14 felony counts. bombe first lady's photo is hilarious. it is video you have to see. >> how safe is your family's car. storm watchck on this morning and checking conditions all over. we will head to the district and jackie is that when her storm of thech the course storm in 30 seconds. you see how it ramps up and sticks to the roads. it piles up on cars. one lone car comes through and the tracks get filled then. you are getting a decent flow there and the tracks keep getting filled then. the chart tracks go away and soon, the dig out will begin. a pretty cool time lapse. >> kyle, thank you. youe asked for photos and can send us photos at wjla.com. that sums up the storm. youame pretty steady and will have to do some digging out. >> yeah, absolutely. that is the concern. it is a dry and how three snow. it wi

we know jonnie williams, the businessman, the company star scientific, where does this go from here? >> now we enter a classic criminal trial phase. the governor is set to be arraigned on friday. there was a thought that that might be pushed off it looks like that will prb leigh go ahead on friday. we would expect him to enter a plea of not guilty given everything he has said publicly. and you know, there is going to be some fighting in court and eventually we'll probably see a very messy and probably unpleasant trial. >> and just quickly, a sense of how this happened to be announced right now, just days after he left office. >> well, it's very interesting question. we had reported in december that he had been informed by the u.s. attorney in virginia that the u.s. attorney intended to seek criminal charges. but the governor and first lady's lawyers went to top officials at the department of justice in washington and asked them to hold off. they told him take another look at the case. but one of the arguments they made was that they shouldn't do it in december, just a couple of weeks

with taking $165,000 worth of loans, trips and expensive gifts from former star scientific ceo jonnie williams and in return promoting his company. they're also accused of trying to cover up the trail. governor, a lot of people out here love you and are here to support you. what do you think? >> make room, people. >> god has blessed me with great friends and family. >> reporter: many friends including speaker of the house bill howell and delegate dave elbow were there to support mcdonnell who left office 12 days ago. the courtroom was packed with more than 120 people, most of them supporters of government and his wife, but many press as well from around the country, state and even the world. >> it's a crazy life in the fish bowl of politics, especially when you're on the national stage and can't see everything going on behind you. i really feel for him, but you saw a rock solid man up there. >> reporter: peggy fox, wusa9. >> although the husband and wife have separate defense teams, it appears the mcdonnells are sticking together. the prosecution offered to drop all charges against maureen mcd

, trips -- $165,000 worth of loans, trips and expensive trips from former star scientific ceo jonnie williams and promoting his company. they are accused of trying to cover up the trial. governor, a lot of people are here to support you. what do you think? >> god has blessed me with great friends and family. >> reporter: many friends including speaker of the house bill howell and delegate dave elbow were there to support mcdonnell who left office 12 days ago. the courtroom was packed with more than 120 people, most of them supporters of the governor and his wife, but also many press as well from around the country, the state and even the world. >> it's a crazy life in the fish bowl of politics especially on the national stage and you can't see everything going on behind you. i feel for him at this time, but look, you saw a rock solid man up there. >> reporter: peggy fox, wusa9. >> although bob mcdonnell and his wife have separate defense teams, it appears they are sticking together. the prosecution offered to drop all charges against maureen mcdonnell if he would plead guilty to one fraud cou

they're accused of accepting illegal gifts like luxury vacations, large loans from businessman jonny williams who was seeking special treatment from the state. the mcdonnells deny any wrongdoing and say the loans and gifts were legal. >>> everything is fine now but what a scary day on the university of oklahoma campus. school officials sent out a twitter alert after rorserof shots fired in the architecture building. police responded to that scene but found no evidence. classes were in session at the time of the shooting scare, just a scare. >>> thousands of antiabortion act vies braved the cold to -- activists braved the cold to march for life wrapping up a week of events protesting the now 31st anniversary of the roe vs. wade decision. >> it showcased how conservatives are reworking their antiabortion message. >> reporter: the play cal climate in -- climate and -- the split cam climate and the freezing weather-- >> some of you have been marching over 40 years and have endured many setbacks, including the recent expansion of abortion coverage in obama care. >> reporter: conservatives are look

they have been accused of accepting gifts from jonnie williams in exchange for promoting his company. >> it is 10 degrees. it will feel a lot colder outside because of the wind. >> you will want to hear this and see it. a police officer shot a woman to death and culpeper. take a live look outside. it is the wind and the it is wednesday morning and take a look at the windchill factors that will be a it will be in double digits at the dulles airport. it will be windy and cold and windchill will be between -10 and five degrees for the day. thean be expected through hours. expected --are digits are expected through the weekend. let's find out about these cold temperatures. it is not too bad, as far as it convinces go. coming in through pennsylvania and the 11th street bridge, you are good to go. you do have covered roadways and patches. do not be deceived by the interstates being cleared. it is still hazardous. an overnight crash knocked down a side -- sign. it heads up, they will have their regular schedule. is operating on a "s" schedule this morning. seeing problems at the airports and

federal charges now accused of accepting illegal gifts, vacations, large loans from businessman jonny williams who was indeed seeking special treatment from the state for his business. the mcdonnells deny any wrongdoing and say the loans and gifts were legal. the couple's legal team requested that friday's hearing be delayed because after scheduling conflict with one of the attorneys. >>> it is 5:06. good morning if you're just waking up. jessica doyle joins us live from the newsroom with headlines on your money. mixed day yesterday. >> yes, definitely but we'll have to see if a deal can help spire up stocks today. this was just noangsed. inova has growed to buy part of i.b.m.'s service. breaking news for wall street today. however, outside of that, they seem to be muddling along with this pattern that's been started since the new year of the investors wondering if companies can increase revenue, rather than just keep cutting copses in order to raise their prove -- costs in order to raise their profit margins. the dow dropped 41 points in trading yesterday. as you see right there, s&p 500 was

helped make that happen and he received private flights, vacation, golf outings and cash from jonnie williams and the governor was in dire straits financially, he wrote a lot of money in multiple properties and they took 1 -- more than $100,000 in loans from williams. although it appears they gave back much of what they received, prosecutors say this was a scheme to use their influence for personal gain. therefore these 14 felony counts including wire fraud and much more. it is a tremendous fall from grace for a man who was considered a potential vp pick in 2012. some talked about him for a u.s. attorney. it is such a huge development. we will continue to look over these documents and we will have -- for yourom you coming up tonight at 6:00. >> keep us posted on that. new details into what happened moments before two people were shot and killed near howard university. thet is snowing all over northeast. how many flights are being affected. >> and more on how much longer it is going to snow and how cold it will get tonight. >> we are not the only ones dealing with the cold. the one foot of sno

a close second is jonni williams who got passing endorsements from the governor, good seats at certainr tables. really i think at the end of the day the point about the big picture this confirms every american's worst suspicion about politics and what happens when you get into power. you become a bully, become corrupt, take gifts. you are not a public servant anymore. republicans have been successful in anything in the sort of grand trajectory it is public service. republicans in congress and in these two specific examples have shown us the ugly side of being a public servant, the corruption, naked greed and the sense that you are no longer holding to public office. >> i think it is a good thought because every time government looks bad the right wing, not necessarily the republican party, but the right wing wins. we can't trust the east coast republicans. any power corrupt so give it to us, the guys who don't believe -- we may go to washington and we don't live there. we want to be a part of it. >> if we are talking about rolex watches and traffic jams that really helps the overall at

prosecutors accuse them of accepting gifts from businessman jonnie williams in exchange for promoting his dietary supplement. there was a $19,000 manhattan shopping spree for the first lady. $50,000 loan. $15,000 to cater a wedding reception. andy weiss who defended those in similar cases taking gifts doesn't prove guilt. >> there's no question the big danger of this statute is it invites jurors to look at things that lay folks find to be very distasteful. contrary to the way we think good government should be working. that is all going to be part of this case. but it shouldn't be enough to convict someone of bribery. >> the legal battle starts in court friday. the governor and his wife deny any wrongdoing. he calls the prosecution's case misguided legal theory. >> julie carey, thank you. >>> a new report shows the george washington bridge controversy is taking a toll on new jersey governor chris christie. the quinnipiac poll says 35% of those surveyed say he would make a good president down 14 points from two months ago and now trails hillary clinton by 18 points in december he was l

mcdonnell issued a statement saying he deeply regrets accepting legal gifts and loans from jonny williams, the c.e.o. of star scientific. he says he's repaid all of the loans with interest and has apologized. mcdonnell also says he did nothing illegal in exchange for the gifts and loans. he also says he didn't violate any laws. >>> in the meantime a recent crash test conducted by the insurance institute for highway safety raises serious questions about mini cars. the 2014 top safety pick which was the chevrolet spark was the only model to receive an acceptable rating. other popular models like the honda fit performed the worse. the crash sip lates what happens when the front corner of the car hits another vehicle or tree. the passenger compartment in many of the cars was compromised. the steering column pushed back towards the driver potentially leading to serious injuries. every mini car rated marginal or poor for structure. itself most important component for passenger and driver safety. >>> well, wall street is betting on the seattle seahawks to win the super bowl and it's all because

charged with taking $165,000.200of loans, trips and expensive gifts from former star scientific ceo jonnie williams and in return promoting his company. they're also accused of trying to cover up the trail. governor, a lot of people out here love you and they're here to support you. what do you think? >> make room, people. >> god has blessed me with great friends and family. >> reporter: many friends including speaker of the house bill howell and delegate dave elbow were there to support mcdonnell who left office 12 days ago. >> it's a crazy life in the fish bowl of politics, especially when you're on the national stage and you can't see everything going on behind you. i really feel for him at this time, but look, you saw a rock solid man up there. >> reporter: although the husband and wife had separate legal teams, it appears they are sticking together. the prosecution offered to drop all the charges against maureen mcdonnell if bob mcdonnell would plead guilty to one fraud count. that didn't happen. a trial date is set for july 28th. in richmond peggy fox, wusa9. >>> breaking news right now, traf