Former Texas congressional representative Steve Stockman is sentenced to 120 months in prison after a Federal jury convicted him of 23 counts of fraud and money laundering.
Stockman represented his state in the U.S. Congress from 1995 to 1997, and from 2013 to 2015. In 2014, he was not re-elected to the us Senate, rollcall reports.
The court found him guilty of fraud for 775 thousand dollars: the money was a Fund that involves donations for charitable purposes and the education of voters.
“Former Texas representative Stockman has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from charities, then used the money to pay for personal expenses and financing their political campaigns, the statement said assistant attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski. “As this case shows, the justice Department and our law enforcement officers will aggressively pursue corrupt government officials, including those who seek to use the election for personal gain.”
A Federal court in April found 60-year-old Shtokman guilty of extorting $ 1.25 million in fraudulent donations , in particular using some of the funds earmarked for charities to pay for his personal expenses and further his political ambitions.
The former Congressman is also required to pay more than $ 1 million in restitution, followed by three years of supervised release, the justice Department said in a statement.
“Congressman Stockman used his position to defraud charities to advance his political career and pay for personal expenses,” Special agent Richard Goss of the IRS Criminal Investigation said. “His actions and failure to pay taxes on these illegal funds not only undermine the us tax system, but also cultivate distrust of our elected officials.”
Previously, two former Stockman assistants, Thomas Dodd of Houston and Jason T. Posey of Tupelo, Mississippi, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud, fraud, and money laundering. They have not yet received a final verdict.
