( CNN ) -- The jury in the trial of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is deliberating six counts stemming from allegations that he accepted illegal campaign contributions , falsified documents and conspired to receive and conceal the contributions . The maximum sentence if convicted on all six counts would be 30 years in prison and a $ 1.5 million fine . Here is a breakdown of the charges against Edwards : . Opinion : Are men stupid ? Count 1 : Conspiracy ( maximum 5-year sentence ) Edwards , a former U.S. senator from North Carolina , is accused of conspiring to receive and conceal contributions in excess of the allowed limits from Rachel `` Bunny '' Mellon and Fred Baron , a now-deceased Texas lawyer who was Edwards ' finance chairman . Under the Federal Election Campaign Act , the most an individual could contribute to any candidate in 2008 was $ 2,300 in the primary election and $ 2,300 in the general election . Prosecutors argued that Edwards , while a candidate for federal office , accepted $ 725,000 from Mellon and more than $ 200,000 from Baron . Counts 2-5 reflect that accusation . Count 2 : Illegal campaign contributions ( maximum 5-year sentence ) Edwards is accused of receiving contributions from Mellon in excess of federal limits in 2007 . Count 3 : Illegal campaign contributions ( maximum 5-year sentence ) Edwards is accused of receiving contributions from Mellon in excess of of federal limits in 2008 . Count 4 : Illegal campaign contributions ( maximum 5-year sentence ) Edwards is accused of receiving contributions from Baron in excess of federal limits in 2007 . Count 5 : Illegal campaign contributions ( maximum 5-year sentence ) Edwards is accused of receiving contributions from Baron in excess of of federal limits in 2008 . Count 6 : False statements ( maximum 5-year sentence ) Edwards is accused of hiding from his presidential committee the hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from Mellon and Baron , causing that committee to create and submit inaccurate campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission .
A jury in Greensboro , North Carolina , is deliberating six counts against Edwards . They are that he received illegal contributions and falsified documents . Also prosecutors say that he conspired to receive and conceal the contributions . Edwards is a former state senator from North Carolina and former presidential candidate .