Prison sentence doomed Edwards plea deal - newsobserver.com
Excerpt: A crucial part of criminal law is that there was intent to violate it.
Prosecutors allege that Edwards knew that campaign laws require disclosure of contributions and limit how much one person can give to an election. Edwards knew the flow of money was outside the law, the prosecutors allege.
The indictment describes two possible witnesses who would testify that Edwards linked the money to his efforts to win election.
In a brief statement after the indictment, standing near the front of the federal courthouse in Winston-Salem, Edwards said he "never, ever thought that I was breaking the law."
But the night before, he was considering admitting to just that.