Bridgegate defendants Bridget Kelly and William Baroni Jr. are readying appellate arguments that downplay the severity of their actions in what prosecutors framed as—and a jury agreed was—the politically motivated lane-closure scheme, according briefs filed in advance of next month’s scheduled appellate argument before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Jail sentences await both defendants—24 months for Baroni and 18 months for Kelly—if the appeals court upholds their convictions after the April 23 hearing.  Each was convicted of misuse and conspiracy to misuse property of an organization receiving federal funds; wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to deprive others of their civil rights; and depriving others of their civil rights under the color of law.