Some of the players in the scandal surrounding the politically motivated closures of lanes near the George Washington Bridge in 2013:

DAVID WILDSTEIN

David Wildstein, right, arrives with his attorney Alan Zegas at federal court for a hearing in Newark
David Wildstein, right, arrives with his attorney Alan Zegas at federal court for a hearing in Newark (AP Photo/Mel Evans)
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Wildstein, who went to high school with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, was hired in 2010 at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey by Christie's top appointee there, deputy executive director Bill Baroni. By then, Wildstein had served as mayor of his hometown and became known in New Jersey as a political blogger who used the name Wally Edge.

He announced his resignation as the Port Authority's director of interstate capital projects in December 2013, saying he did not want to be a distraction. It was originally to be effective Jan. 1, 2014, but Christie made him leave the job earlier.

In January 2014, Wildstein appeared before a legislative committee investigating the lane closures, but he declined to answer any questions and invoked his right not to incriminate himself.

His lawyer later said he had evidence that Christie knew about the lane closures as they were happening.

Wildstein graduated from Livingston High School one year before Christie, but the governor has said they were not friends as teenagers.

BRIDGET KELLY

Kelly served as Christie's deputy chief of staff for intergovernmental affairs. She did not testify before the legislative committee, invoking her right not to incriminate herself.

A taxpayer-funded report on the lane closings commissioned by Christie's office portrayed her as someone who acted without the administration's approval as she plotted the traffic tie-ups, noting that she had personal problems, including a sick child and a romantic break-up.

DAVID SAMSON

David Samson
David Samson ( Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
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Samson, a former New Jersey attorney general and one of Christie's closest advisers, resigned as chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in March 2014. He said that at 74, he had been looking to leave anyway. He also said the timing was right as the agency started going through major changes prompted by the lane closure scandal.

In his last months on the job, questions arose about whether he was misusing the position. Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged that the administration was tying Superstorm Sandy aid to her approval of a real estate development project. The developer of the project was represented by Samson's then-law firm.

Samson, 75, announced his retirement from the firm in April and the firm rebranded itself.

There also were questions about a $1-a-year lease awarded to New Jersey Transit for a park-and-ride lot that had previously cost $900,000 annually. Samson's law firm was working for New Jersey Transit at the time.

Samson led Christie's transition team in 2009 and 2010.

BILL BARONI

Bill Baroni being appointed in February, 2010
Bill Baroni being appointed in February, 2010 to the post of Deputy Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (Governor Photos/Tim Larsen)
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Baroni left the state Legislature in 2010, when Christie picked him as his top appointee at the Port Authority.

When Baroni resigned from the Port Authority in December 2013, he was making $290,000 annually.

Democrats have accused him of taking part in a cover-up after the lane closures because of testimony he gave to lawmakers when they first asked questions about it. He said that the lanes were closed as part of a traffic study.

BILL STEPIEN

Christie cut ties with Stepien, his former campaign manager, after the scandal broke.

That cost Stepien a nomination to become the chairman of the New Jersey Republican State Committee and got his contract pulled as a consultant for the Republican Governors Association, which Christie led last year. Stepien also served in Christie's administration during his first term in office.

Among the emails released when the scandal blew up in January 2014 was one in which Stepien seemed to be making light of reports about the lane closures.

CHRIS CHRISTIE

Christie is preparing for a run for the Republican presidential nomination next year, though he has not declared himself to be a candidate yet.

The lane-closing scandal circles mostly around people who worked for him or whom he appointed.

Wildstein's lawyer has said he has proof that Christie was aware of the lane closures as they happened. But two reports - one commissioned by the governor himself and one by legislators - have not found any direct links between the governor and the closures.

To his critics, the lane closures are an example of how Christie bullies political opponents or creates an atmosphere where those loyal to him do so.

MARK SOKOLICH

Fort Lee, New Jersey Mayor Mark Sokolich applauds as U.S. President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union
Fort Lee, New Jersey Mayor Mark Sokolich applauds as U.S. President Barack Obama delivers the State of the Union (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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Sokolich, the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, seems to have been the target of the lane closures.

Sokolich spoke to officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey about traffic problems in his town caused by the George Washington Bridge.

In the run-up to the lane closures, Kelly and Wildstein vented frustrations about the mayor. Stepien at one point called Sokolich "an idiot" in a message to Wildstein that was later made public.

During the lane closures, Sokolich complained and asked whether the tie-ups were meant as retribution against him.

Christie personally apologized to Sokolich in January 2014.

PAUL FISHMAN

Fishman became U.S. attorney for New Jersey in October 2009, less than a year after Christie left the job to run for governor.

He is a registered Democrat and was nominated for the job by President Barack Obama.

Fishman has served as a prosecutor and a lawyer in private practice. Lawyers see him as particularly thorough.

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