Bridgegate Scandal

Bridgegate Scandal
Statute:	18 U.S.C. § 666, § 1343
Code:	Title 18 (Federal Programs Fraud, Wire Fraud)
Max Prison:	10-20 years
Agencies:	FBI, U.S. Attorney (NJ)
Related:	Wire Fraud, Public Corruption

The Bridgegate Scandal, officially known as the Fort Lee Lane Closure Scandal, was a political corruption case in New Jersey involving aides to Governor Chris Christie who orchestrated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge in September 2013 as political retribution against a Democratic mayor. The resulting traffic gridlock lasted four days, delayed emergency services, and allegedly contributed to the death of a 91-year-old woman.

Three people faced federal criminal charges, and two were convicted at trial. However, in a unanimous 2020 decision (Kelly v. United States), the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions, ruling that federal fraud statutes require proof of an intent to obtain "money or property" and that political corruption alone is insufficient for federal prosecution.

The scandal is widely credited with ending Chris Christie's presidential ambitions and continues to serve as a landmark case defining the limits of federal fraud prosecutions.

Summary

On September 9, 2013, two of three local access lanes to the George Washington Bridge were closed without warning, creating massive traffic gridlock in Fort Lee, New Jersey. The closures were not a legitimate traffic study as initially claimed, but rather political retribution against Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat who had declined to endorse Republican Governor Chris Christie's re-election campaign.

The scheme was orchestrated by:

• Bridget Anne Kelly – Christie's Deputy Chief of Staff, who wrote the infamous email "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee"
• David Wildstein – Christie appointee at the Port Authority who implemented the closures
• Bill Baroni – Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority who helped cover up the scheme

Governor Christie was never charged, though testimony suggested he knew about the closures while they were happening. The scandal dominated New Jersey politics for years and effectively ended Christie's 2016 presidential campaign before it began.

Timeline of Events

The Setup

July 2013: Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, declines to endorse Chris Christie in his gubernatorial re-election campaign. Christie won re-election in November 2013 by a wide margin.

August 13, 2013: Bridget Anne Kelly emails David Wildstein: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Wildstein responds: "Got it."

September 7, 2013: Wildstein emails Kelly: "I will call you Monday AM to let you know how Fort Lee goes."

The Lane Closures

September 9, 2013 (Monday): Two of three local access lanes from Fort Lee to the George Washington Bridge are closed at the start of morning rush hour. No advance notice is given to Fort Lee officials, police, or emergency services. Severe traffic gridlock immediately develops throughout Fort Lee, affecting:

• Schools (children unable to reach classes)
• Commuters (multi-hour delays)
• Emergency services (delayed 911 responses)
• Businesses (customers unable to access stores)

September 9-12, 2013: Mayor Sokolich repeatedly contacts Port Authority officials seeking explanation. He texts Bill Baroni: "Help please. It's maddening." He notes children cannot get to school. Officials claim the closures are for a "traffic study."

September 10, 2013: Fort Lee EMS Coordinator Paul Favia documents that the traffic pattern is causing "unnecessary delays for emergency services to arrive on scene for medical emergencies." A 91-year-old woman suffers cardiac arrest; paramedics are delayed due to gridlock. She later dies.

September 11, 2013: At a 9/11 memorial event, David Wildstein informs Governor Christie about the lane closures. Wildstein later testified that Christie laughed at the news.

September 13, 2013 (Friday): Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye, a Democrat appointed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, orders the lanes reopened. He calls the closures a "hasty and ill-informed decision" that could have violated federal and state laws.

The Unraveling

October 2013: The Wall Street Journal reports on the lane closures, raising questions about the "traffic study" explanation.

January 8, 2014: Emails including Kelly's "Time for some traffic problems" message are released publicly, revealing the political motivation.

January 9, 2014: Governor Christie holds a two-hour press conference denying knowledge of the scheme. He fires Bridget Kelly and announces Bill Baroni's resignation.

May 1, 2015: A federal grand jury indicts Kelly and Baroni on charges including conspiracy, wire fraud, and federal programs fraud.

Criminal Proceedings

September-November 2016: Kelly and Baroni stand trial in federal court. David Wildstein, who pleaded guilty earlier, serves as the prosecution's star witness. He testifies that Christie was told about the closures while they were happening.

November 4, 2016: The jury convicts Kelly and Baroni on all nine counts.

March 29, 2017: Sentencing

• Bridget Kelly: 18 months in prison
• Bill Baroni: 24 months in prison
• Both receive supervised release, 500 hours community service, and fines

July 2017: David Wildstein is sentenced to probation for his cooperation.

November 2018: The Third Circuit Court of Appeals upholds most convictions but overturns civil rights charges. Kelly's sentence is reduced to 13 months; Baroni's to 18 months.

May 7, 2020: The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturns all convictions in Kelly v. United States.

The Defendants

Bridget Anne Kelly

Bridget Anne Kelly served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Christie. She was responsible for the August 2013 email that launched the scheme: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

Kelly, a mother of four, was fired by Christie on January 9, 2014, shortly after the emails became public. She maintained that she was being scapegoated and that Christie had more knowledge of the scheme than he admitted.

Original sentence: 18 months in prison, reduced to 13 months on appeal Final outcome: Conviction overturned by Supreme Court (2020)

Kelly later ran for Bergen County Clerk in 2021, seeking to rehabilitate her political career following the Supreme Court's decision clearing her name.

Bill Baroni

William "Bill" Baroni served as Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a position to which Christie had appointed him. Baroni helped implement and cover up the lane closures.

Baroni testified before the state legislature that the closures were part of a legitimate traffic study. This testimony formed the basis for some of the fraud charges.

Original sentence: 24 months in prison, reduced to 18 months on appeal Final outcome: Conviction overturned by Supreme Court (2020)

David Wildstein

David Wildstein was a Port Authority official who actually implemented the lane closures. He was a childhood acquaintance of Christie and had been appointed to a specially created position at the agency.

After the scandal broke, Wildstein resigned and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges. He cooperated extensively with prosecutors and served as the government's star witness at trial, testifying about the political motivation behind the closures and Christie's alleged knowledge.

Sentence: Probation (for cooperation) Final outcome: Guilty plea vacated following Supreme Court decision

Governor Christie's Role

Chris Christie was never criminally charged in connection with Bridgegate. However, his role remained controversial throughout:

What Christie Knew

• Christie's denial: Christie consistently denied any advance knowledge of the lane closure scheme
• Wildstein's testimony: At trial, Wildstein testified that he told Christie about the closures at a September 11 memorial event while they were still ongoing, and that Christie laughed
• Investigation finding: A report commissioned by Christie's office (the "Mastro Report") cleared him of wrongdoing, but critics noted it was conducted by Christie's own lawyers

Political Impact

Bridgegate effectively ended Christie's presidential ambitions:

• Pre-scandal: Christie was widely viewed as a leading contender for the 2016 Republican nomination
• 2016 campaign: The scandal dominated coverage of his campaign; he dropped out after finishing sixth in the New Hampshire primary
• Trump transition: Christie led Donald Trump's transition team but was removed shortly after the November 2016 convictions
• 2024 campaign: Christie ran again in 2024 but failed to gain traction, with Bridgegate still part of his political baggage

The Supreme Court Decision

Kelly v. United States (2020)

On May 7, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned the Bridgegate convictions in Kelly v. United States.

The Legal Issue

The defendants were convicted of federal wire fraud and federal programs fraud. These statutes require proof that the defendant schemed to obtain "money or property."

The prosecution argued that the defendants sought to obtain:

• The Port Authority's money (by diverting resources to the scheme)
• The Port Authority's property (the lanes themselves)

The Court's Ruling

Justice Elena Kagan, writing for a unanimous Court, rejected both theories:

"The scheme here did not aim to obtain money or property... For no reason other than political payback, Baroni and Kelly used deception to reduce Fort Lee's access lanes to the George Washington Bridge—and thereby jeopardized the safety of the town's residents. But not every corrupt act by state or local officials is a federal crime. 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 Court acknowledged the defendants' conduct was wrong:

• They "used deception"
• They acted for "political payback"
• They "jeopardized the safety" of Fort Lee residents

But the Court held that political misconduct is not the same as fraud under federal law. The federal fraud statutes target schemes to steal money or property, not schemes to misuse government power for political purposes.

Significance

The decision continued a trend of the Supreme Court narrowing federal prosecutors' ability to pursue political corruption cases using fraud statutes. The Court has consistently held that these laws require proof of traditional fraud—obtaining money or property through deception—rather than abuse of power generally.

Public Safety Impact

Emergency Response Delays

The lane closures severely impacted emergency services in Fort Lee:

• Ambulance delays: Multiple 911 calls experienced delayed responses
• School bus accident: Police struggled to respond to an accident involving children
• Medical emergencies: A woman waited over an hour for ambulance response to a head injury
• Cardiac arrest death: A 91-year-old woman suffered cardiac arrest; paramedics were delayed; she later died

The Fort Lee EMS coordinator documented that the closures were causing "unnecessary delays for emergency services to arrive on scene for medical emergencies."

No Criminal Charges for Death

Despite the death of the elderly woman, no homicide or manslaughter charges were filed. Prosecutors focused on the fraud and conspiracy aspects of the case. The woman's family considered but did not pursue a civil lawsuit.

Related Scandals and People

Bridgegate is part of a broader category of political corruption scandals that have resulted in federal prosecution:

Similar scandal pages to consider:

• Varsity_Blues_Scandal – College admissions fraud
• Rod_Blagojevich – Illinois governor convicted of corruption
• Illinois Operation Greylord – Judicial corruption
• Abscam – FBI sting operation on Congress members

Other notable political scandals deserving Prisonpedia coverage:

• Watergate – Nixon administration
• Teapot Dome – Harding administration
• Illinois Governors' Scandals – Four consecutive governors facing corruption charges
• Operation Greylord – Chicago judicial corruption
• Bob McDonnell case – Virginia governor (conviction also overturned by Supreme Court)
• Sheldon Silver case – New York Assembly Speaker
• Dean Skelos case – New York Senate Majority Leader

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What was the Bridgegate scandal?

Bridgegate (the Fort Lee lane closure scandal) was a political scandal involving aides to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie who ordered lane closures on the George Washington Bridge in September 2013 to create traffic gridlock in Fort Lee as political retribution against the mayor for not endorsing Christie's re-election. The closures lasted four days, delayed emergency services, and allegedly contributed to a death.

Q: Who was convicted in the Bridgegate scandal?

Three people faced charges. Bridget Anne Kelly (Christie's deputy chief of staff) was sentenced to 18 months; Bill Baroni (Port Authority deputy director) was sentenced to 24 months; David Wildstein (who implemented the closures) received probation for cooperating. However, all convictions were later overturned by the Supreme Court in 2020.

Q: Was Chris Christie charged in Bridgegate?

No, Christie was never criminally charged. However, David Wildstein testified that Christie was told about the closures while they were happening and laughed. Christie denied knowledge. The scandal severely damaged his political career and is credited with derailing his 2016 presidential campaign.

Q: Why were the Bridgegate convictions overturned?

In May 2020, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Kelly v. United States that federal fraud statutes require proof the defendants aimed to obtain "money or property." Since the scheme was political retribution rather than theft, the charges could not apply. Justice Kagan wrote that "not every corrupt act by state or local officials is a federal crime."

Q: Did anyone die because of the Bridgegate traffic jams?

A 91-year-old Fort Lee woman suffered cardiac arrest during the closures, and paramedics were delayed reaching her due to gridlock. She later died. The Fort Lee EMS coordinator documented multiple cases of delayed emergency responses. No homicide charges were filed.

Q: What was the 'Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee' email?

On August 13, 2013, Bridget Anne Kelly emailed David Wildstein: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." He replied: "Got it." This became the smoking gun proving the closures were deliberate political retribution, not a legitimate traffic study as initially claimed.

Q: How long did the Bridgegate traffic jams last?

The closures began September 9, 2013, and lasted four days until September 13, when Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye (a New York appointee) ordered them reopened. Fort Lee experienced severe gridlock affecting schools, commuters, and emergency services throughout.

Q: How did Bridgegate affect Chris Christie's political career?

Bridgegate devastated Christie's ambitions. He was a 2016 presidential frontrunner before the scandal; he dropped out after New Hampshire. He was removed as Trump's transition team head after the 2016 convictions. His 2024 presidential campaign failed to gain traction. The scandal remains central to his political legacy.

See also

• Varsity_Blues_Scandal
• Wire Fraud
• Public Corruption
• Differences Between Federal and State Prosecution