David Wildstein Avoids Jail For Role In Bridgegate Conspiracy

NEWARK, NJ — David Wildstein, the Governor Christie-appointed Port Authority official, has avoided prison. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to three years of probation for his role in the Bridgegate political payback scheme.

Wildstein, 55, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy for his role in the scheme that damaged Governor Christie's political reputation and may have cost him in the vice presidency.

Two former Christie aides, Bridget Anne Kelly, 44, the governor's former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, 45, the governor's top executive appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, were found guilty in November on conspiracy, wire fraud and civil rights charges.

"As we sad in our motion to the court, although Wildstein was the architect of this criminal scheme and a force behind its cover-up, he accepted responsibility for his actions and admitted his guilt," Acting U.S. Attorney William Fitzpatrick said in a statement. "His timely, complete and truthful cooperation was extraordinary and essential to the successful prosecution of Mr. Baroni and Ms. Kelly. The law requires the government and the court to take the nature and extent of Mr. Wildstein's cooperation into account in fashioning an appropriate sentence."

Baroni was sentenced to two years in prison for his role in the scandal; Kelly was was sentenced to 18 months. The charges claimed they conspired with Wildstein to close access lanes to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee as punishment against Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat who did not endorse Christie for re-election in 2013.

RELATED: 2 Ex-Chris Christie Aides Found Guilty in Criminal Trial

Sokolich said that Kelly and Baroni did what they did with "a callous disregard for public safety and the lives of many people."

It was thought that David Samson, a long-time Christie confidant, also had a role in the Bridgegate scheme, but was never charged. He pleaded guilty last July to demanding a bribe when he was Port Authority chairman.

Christie repeatedly denied being involved in the scheme. He previously told NBC that he believes the scandal impacted his chances of becoming President Donald Trump's vice presidential running mate.

Photos:

David Wildstein, former Port Authority appointee of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, leaves the Newark Federal Courthouse in in 2015. Wildstein plead guilty on charges after a federal probe into the George Washington Bridge Case. (Photo by Kena Betancur/Getty Images News/Getty Images)

Bridget Anne Kelly, former deputy chief of staff to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, exits the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse following her sentencing in March./Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Bill Baroni, former deputy executive director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, arrives at the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse in March. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images News/Getty Images