Bridget Kelly Sentenced in Bridgegate Scandal

Bridget Anne Kelly, 46, former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Chris Christie, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison for her role in the infamous Bridgegate scandal that choked Fort Lee, New Jersey, with gridlock to punish a mayor who refused to endorse the governor’s re-election. The Newark federal court ruling marks the end of a years-long legal battle stemming from one of the most brazen abuses of power in recent New Jersey political history.

Kelly and co-defendant William E. Baroni, 47, formerly deputy executive director of the Port Authority, were convicted on Nov. 4, 2016, on seven counts including conspiracy to misuse federally funded agency property, wire fraud, and civil rights violations. The scheme involved slashing local access lanes from three to one at the George Washington Bridge toll plazas—without warning—during the first week of school in September 2013, deliberately trapping students, parents, and emergency vehicles in hours of traffic.

The attack on Fort Lee was retaliation. After Kelly confirmed that Mayor Mark Sokolich would not endorse Gov. Christie’s 2013 re-election bid, she, Baroni, and third conspirator David Wildstein—a former Port Authority official—agreed to manufacture a fake traffic study as cover. They ignored desperate pleas from Sokolich and Fort Lee police as emergency services were delayed and schools were thrown into chaos.

Wildstein pleaded guilty on May 1, 2015, to two counts of conspiracy, including misusing federal funds and violating civil rights. He cooperated with prosecutors and was sentenced to three years of probation on July 12, 2017. Baroni was initially sentenced to 24 months, later reduced to 18 months after the Third Circuit upheld five of seven counts in a unanimous ruling on Nov. 27, 2018, which also led to Kelly’s original 18-month sentence being vacated.

Judge Susan D. Wigenton resentenced Kelly today in Newark federal court, citing the appellate court’s dismissal of the civil rights convictions but affirming the core fraud and conspiracy charges. The manipulation of Port Authority resources for political retribution, the court found, was a felony abuse of public trust—not a political prank, as defense attorneys claimed.

The case, dubbed Bridgegate by the media, exposed deep corruption within the Christie administration. Federal prosecutors, led by U.S. Attorney Mark Coyne, called it a shocking misuse of government power. For Bridget Kelly, the cost of loyalty to party over public service is now 13 months behind bars.