Ex-VA. Gov. McDonnell wife request separate trials in public corruption case

FILE: Oct. 22, 2013: Then-Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and wife Maureen at Saint Joseph School in Petersburg, Va. (AP)

RICHMOND, Va. – Lawyers for former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife are asking a federal judge to order separate trials in their public corruption case.

In motions filed late Tuesday night, defense attorneys say Maureen McDonnell wants to testify on her husband's behalf but would not do so if she also is on trial. The attorneys also say that in a joint trial, Maureen McDonnell would invoke marital privilege that would prevent the former governor from testifying about their private conversations.

The defendants also filed motions seeking dismissal of all but two of the 14 charges against them.

The McDonnells are charged with accepting more than $165,000 in gifts and loans from the CEO of a dietary supplements company in exchange for helping promote his products. They have pleaded not guilty.