Carleton president Roseann Runte will not be implicated in the sentencing of a former Virginian delegate’s federal bribery and extortion trial.

Phillip Hamilton was on trial for allegedly arranging a $40,000 annual salary for himself as director of a new teacher training centre at Old Dominion University (ODU), according to The Virginian-Pilot. He also allegedly secured state funding for this teacher training centre at the same time.  

In 2006, William Graves was a dean at ODU and David Blackburn was an administrator who worked for him. They both attended a meeting in August 2006 with Hamilton and Runte, who was the president of ODU at that time, according to an audit performed by the university.

At this meeting, Hamilton allegedly promised to gain state funding for the new teacher training centre through his position as a delegate, The Pilot reported.

Graves implicated Runte in his testimony, saying she gave him an order to give Hamilton a job, and “make him director or something.”
Andrew Sacks, Hamilton’s lawyer, brought Graves’ testimony into question.

“The government witness who made that allegation against Dr. Runte has admitted to lying to various investigators about this case, which renders his credibility highly questionable and his testimony on this point not believable,” Sacks said via email.

Runte’s deposition was recorded on video in Ottawa and played during the trial May 6.

“Dr. Runte strongly and adamantly denied that she directed that Mr. Hamilton be hired either in exchange for his services as a legislator or otherwise,” Sacks said.

Hamilton was found guilty of bribery and extortion May 11 and faces up to 30 years in prison.

The jury found Hamilton guilty of using his political position to arrange a $40,000 annual salary for himself as director of a teacher training centre at ODU. He did this in exchange for sponsoring a bill to grant $500,000 to the university to start the training centre, The Pilot reported.

Hamilton was found primarily responsible for concocting the scheme, and Runte will not be implicated in Hamilton’s sentencing.