Former Texas congressman found guilty of 23 felonies (Stockman)

[corbe]

Former Texas congressman found guilty of 23 felonies

By John Bowden - 04/12/18 02:34 PM EDT   

Former Texas Rep. Steve Stockman (R) was found guilty of 23 felony charges related to the defrauding of two conservative donors, the Texas Tribune reports.

Stockman, who was charged with 24 counts in total, had one of four charges of wire fraud rejected by a 12-member Jury on Thursday, the Tribune reports.

The jury deliberated for three days before finding Stockman guilty, a decision that could mean he will face decades behind bars. Two former aides also accepted guilty pleas in the trial, and testified against Stockman.

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http://thehill.com/homenews/house/382889-former-texas-congressman-found-guilty-of-23-felonies

[truth_seeker]

Good news = innocent on one count

Bad news = guilty on 23 counts

He ain't no natural born Texan, anyhow

[dfwgator]

"Watch your cornhole, Bud."

[corbe]

    I once had high hopes for this guy replacing Cornyn until he utterly disappeared half way through the campaign.

[Sanguine]

    I once had high hopes for this guy replacing Cornyn until he utterly disappeared half way through the campaign.

I guess we now know why.

[mountaineer]

Press release from U.S. Justice Dept.

Former U.S. Congressman Convicted of Mail and Wire Fraud, Campaign Finance Violations, Money Laundering and Filing a False Tax Return
Thursday, April 12, 2018

A federal jury convicted former U.S. Representative Stephen E. Stockman for orchestrating a scheme to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from charitable foundations and the individuals who ran those foundations to illegally finance Stockman’s campaigns for public office and to pay for his and others’ personal expenses.  Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas, Assistant Director in Charge Nancy McNamara of the FBI's Washington Field Office and Special Agent in Charge D. Richard Goss of Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation’s (IRS-CI) Houston Field Office made the announcement.

Stockman, 61, of Clear Lake, Texas, was convicted of seven counts of mail and wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to make conduit campaign contributions and false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC), one count of making coordinated excessive campaign contributions, two counts of making false statements to the FEC, 11 counts of money laundering and one count of filing a false tax return.  Thomas Dodd, 38, of the Houston, Texas area, a former special assistant in Stockman’s congressional office, and Jason Posey, 46, formerly of Houston, a former Stockman congressional staffer, previously pleaded guilty to their involvement in the scheme.

“Stephen Stockman abused his position as United States Congressman to defraud charitable donors and then used the proceeds of his crimes to corrupt the election process and make a range of impermissible personal expenditures,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Cronan.  “The Criminal Division is committed to preserving the public’s confidence in our government by investigating and prosecuting corrupt public officials.  We also will continue to address the threat that illegal coordinated campaign contributions pose to the integrity of federal elections, and aggressively pursue these offenses at every appropriate opportunity.”

“This case was a fantastic collaboration between the Southern District of Texas and the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division,” said U.S. Attorney Patrick.  “When public officials use their office to defraud donors and violate federal law, we will hold them accountable. Corrupt officials like former congressman Stockman make it harder for the honest ones to do their jobs.”

“Former Representative Stockman used his position as a Member of Congress to fraudulently solicit charitable donations for the purpose of keeping himself in public office,” said Assistant Director McNamara. “Today’s verdict shows that no one is above the law and the FBI and our partners will thoroughly investigate all allegation of violations of federal election system.” ... 

LINK

[mountaineer]

Info from when he was indicted:

Former Rep. Steve Stockman Indicted on 28 Counts
Charges include fraud, conspiracy and money laundering
Posted Mar 29, 2017 6:53 AM
Eric Garcia


Former Texas Republican Rep. Steve Stockman was formally indicted Tuesday evening on fraud, conspiracy and money laundering charges, the Justice Department announced.

Stockman, who retired after losing a 2014 primary challenge to Sen. John Cornyn, and aide Jason Posey were charged in a 28-count superseding indictment.

Among the charges were wire and mail fraud, conspiracy, making face statements to the Federal Election Commission, making excessive campaign contributions and money laundering. Stockman was also charged separately for filing a false tax return.

The indictment comes after former campaign worker Thomas Dodd reached a plea deal last week and said that he and Stockman colluded to use $775,000 to pay credit card bills and campaign expenses.

The indictment filed Tuesday says Stockman solicited $1.25 million in donations based on false pretenses, specifically using part of a $285,000 meant for charities to pay for his and Dodd’s personal expenses and further his political ambitions.  ... RollCall