爱德华兹因非法使用竞选捐款被起诉 Former US Senator Edwards Charged Over Illegal Campaign Funds
一个联邦大陪审团向美国前参议员兼总统候选人约翰.爱德华兹提出起诉，指控他违反竞选资金法，使用竞选捐款来掩盖自己的婚外情。这起案件包括6项指控，一项指控阴谋罪，4项指控非法使用竞选捐款以及一项指控虚假陈述。
对爱德华兹的诉讼按是星期五在爱德华兹居住的北卡罗来纳州提出的。
有报道说，爱德华兹的律师克雷格星期五来到北卡罗来纳州。这个消息让人们进一步相信联邦检察官已经准备起诉爱德华兹，或者正在跟爱德华兹方面谈判以达成某种避免开庭审判的交易。
爱德华兹家住北卡罗来纳州，1998年在该州当选美国国会参议员。
这起案件的关键在于有一笔钱支付给了爱德华兹的情妇亨特以及他的前任助手安德鲁.扬。爱德华兹和亨特育有一女，安德鲁.扬此前曾声称是这个女孩的父亲。
这笔钱来自支持爱德华兹2008年总统竞选的两位富人。检察官说，这笔钱应该作为竞选捐助呈报。爱德华兹的律师说，他并没有违法。他们说，这笔钱是用来对爱德华兹的妻子伊丽莎白隐瞒这段婚外情。伊丽莎白身患癌症多年，于去年去世。
A federal grand jury has indicted former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate John Edwards on charges he violated campaign finance laws by using political donations to keep an extramarital affair secret.
The case includes six counts: one count of conspiracy, four counts of illegal campaign contributions and one count of false statements. It was filed on Friday in Edwards' home state of North Carolina.
Reports that Edwards' lawyer, Gregory Craig, would be in North Carolina Friday had fueled speculation that federal prosecutors were ready to indict Edwards or were negotiating a plea agreement with him in order to avoid a trial. Edwards resides in North Carolina and was elected to the U.S. Senate from there in 1998.
The case centers on money paid to Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, with whom he fathered a child, and to a former aide, Andrew Young, who previously claimed paternity of the girl.
The money came from two wealthy supporters of Edwards' 2008 presidential campaign, and prosecutors say the funds should have been reported as campaign donations. His lawyers said he did not break the law. They said the money was a gift that was intended to keep the affair secret from his wife, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth Edwards died last year after a long battle with cancer.