A trial date has been set for former presidential candidate John Edwards.
This afternoon, he was in a Greensboro federal court and the federal judge set his trial date in October.
Last month in a Winston-Salem court, the 57-year-old former U.S. senator pleaded not guilty to six felony charges regarding how campaign contributions were spent during his unsuccessful 2008 bid for the U.S. Presidency.
Federal prosecutors allege Edwards accepted campaign contributions of almost 1 million dollars and then used it to hide an extra-marital affair with Rielle Hunter, who was Edwards' campaign videographer. That relationship resulted in a baby girl. The money was allegedly used to pay for Hunter's living and medical expenses and to pay for the travel and accommodations necessary to hide her from the news media and the public.
Edwards is also accused of filing false campaign finance reports in an attempt to cover up these payments.
The Federal Election Act limits the amount a person may contribute to any candidate for federal elected office in order to limit their influence on the outcome of a federal election. The most one individual could contribute for the 2008 presidential primary election was $2,300.
Edwards' attorneys are still pushing for a January 2013 trial date. They claim they do not have all the documents they need from prosecutors.
If convicted, Edwards faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the conspiracy charge. He faces five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count of accepting and receiving illegal campaign contributions and a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the charge of concealing the alleged illegal donations.
