Disgraced former Virginia Gov . Bob McDonnell made his final written plea to a federal appeals court Wednesday , arguing that the favors he did for a wealthy businessman were routine courtesies and not part of a bribery scheme . The onetime rising Republican star made the argument in a 54-page brief in the 4th U.S . Circuit Court of Appeals . A three-judge panel of the court will conduct a hearing on his appeal of his public corruption convictions on May 12 . SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS . Former Virginia Gov . Bob McDonnell fought back tears outside a federal court building after he was sentenced for selling the influence of his office to the CEO of a dietary supplements company . McDonnell was sentenced to two years in federal prison for public corruption . McDonnell and his wife , Maureen , were convicted in a joint trial in September of accepting more than $ 165,000 in gifts and loans from former Star Scientific Inc. CEO Jonnie Williams in exchange for promoting his company 's nutritional supplements . Bob McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison and his wife to one year and one day , but they remain free while they pursue separate appeals . 'Governor McDonnell never promised anything and never did anything besides extend to Williams the sorts of routine courtesies elected officials throughout the country extend to donors and benefactors every day , ' McDonnell 's lawyers wrote in the latest filing . They were responding to the government 's brief urging the court to uphold the criminal convictions . Former first lady Maureen McDonnell , left , was sentenced to a year and a day . Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams testified under an immunity deal , admitting that he paid the governor with lavish perks in exchange for helping him secure university backing for his 'miracle cure ' Anatabloc product . Prosecutors had written in a 93-page submission to the court that McDonnell 's actions fit the definition of 'official acts ' even better than those taken by former Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson , who is serving 13 years in prison for taking bribes in exchange for using his influence to broker business deals with government leaders in Africa . Jefferson was famously caught with $ 100,000 in bribe money hidden in his freezer . 'Here , defendant directed his action toward subordinate state employees within the branch of government that he controlled as governor , ' they wrote , while in the Jefferson case ' a congressman took action through meetings , letters , and the like directed at other government agencies or foreign governments . ' One of McDonnell 's chief claims on appeal is that the favors he did for Williams did not amount to 'official acts ' covered by federal bribery law . In the new filing , he argues that a meeting McDonnell arranged for Williams with an administration official was 'innocuous ' and that there was nothing special about an event at the Executive Mansion to launch Star 's signature product , the anti-inflammatory Anatabloc . 'Governor McDonnell arrived late , made neutral comments , and left . He never asked anyone to do anything for Williams , ' the brief says . Star Scientific , the maker of Anatabloc , the anti-inflammatory supplement at the center of the McDonnell trial , halted sales of the product in August 2014 . Worse than the freezer bribes ? Prosecutors argue McDonnell 's behavior was a better fit with bribery laws than that of convicted former congressman William Jefferson , who his $ 100,000 of his bribe cash in his freezer . McDonnell argues that in addition to mischaracterizing such events as 'official acts , ' the government incorrectly suggested that McDonnell kept his staff in the dark about most of Williams ' gifts . Among the gifts were almost $ 20,000 worth of designer clothing and accessories for Maureen McDonnell , vacations , golf outings and $ 15,000 for a daughter 's wedding . The former governor also renewed claims that the judge improperly denied separate trials for Bob and Maureen McDonnell and that he failed to adequately question jurors about pretrial news coverage . Williams , who was seeking state-financed research on Anatabloc while lavishing the McDonnells with gifts and loans , testified under immunity for the prosecution .
Bob Star Scientific used his office to benefit a nutritional supplement company whose president lavished gifts on him and his wife . His lawyers argue that he never performed any 'official acts ' for McDonnell , a company that sought support for his 'Anatabloc ' supplement . Star Scientific was sentenced to two years in prison and his wife got one year and one day ; they 're both free pending appeals . Three-judge federal court panel will hear the former governor 's appeal on May 12 .