Guess who (could soon be) back in the House (of Representatives)? Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock.
In a stunning turn of events in the corruption case against the 37-year-old, federal prosecutors have agreed to drop all felony charges if Schock pays what he owes to the IRS and to his campaign fund.
Related: Court docs reveal Aaron Schock’s aides urged him to stop acting so ‘gay’
As The Chicago Tribune reports, the deferred prosecution agreement was announced on Wednesday, March 6. Declaring this solution to be a “fair and just” outcome to the case, prosecutors said they would drop all 22 felony counts against Schock if he pays $42,000 to the IRS and $68,000 to his congressional campaign fund.
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If you’ll recall, the disgraced Illinois politician resigned in 2015 amid allegations of using campaign funds and House allowance for personal expenses, including a Downton Abbey-inspired remodeling of his office in Washington D.C. He got slapped with a 24-count indictment in 2016, but a judge later dismissed two of the counts.
For his part, Schock “applauded” the prosecutors’ decision, according to the Tribune, but apparently looked the gift horse in the mouth.
“I continue to ask, where was the oversight and supervision when my indictment was initiated?” he said. “It should not have taken four years, two U.S. attorney offices, three judges and millions of dollars in costs to the taxpayers and myself to come to this conclusion.”
If those felony counts are dropped, Schock would be left with a clean record and could return to politics.
For the Queerty demographic, Schock’s political comeback would be very bad news indeed: The Republican legislator, who can’t seem to escape gay rumors, once earned 0 percent approval rating from the Human Rights Campaign for his opposition to LGBT equality.
Related: Feds say they’re not interested in Aaron Schock’s sexuality, but he won’t stop talking about it
Brian
I’m disappointed. How could you have not used the turquoise belt photo of him for this article?
Black Pegasus
I think Queerty’s editors were going for the gay disheveled motif in this photo.
DCguy
Michelle Visage saw that photo and judged it as “Too over the top”.
DCguy
Any normal person who owes $5000.00 to the IRS, ends up owing $30,000 after fines, penalties, and interest. A Black teen steals $1000.00 and goes away for 5 years.
Meanwhile a Republican Congressman steals OVER $100,000 of taxpayer money, and defrauds hundreds of thousands of voters, and all he has to do is pay it back, no penalty, and no criminal record.
This is why people do not trust the justice system.
iamru2
Criminals don’t the rest of us do.
Polaro
A black teen with no priors does not got to jail for 5 years for $1,000. The case against Schock was not that damning to begin with. Young people thrust into politics above their wisdom rating make mistakes. Just watch AOC and her new peers. Aaron needs to go away, but all in all, I don’t care that he’s skated felonies.
jpcolter
That is complete crap. You don’t know what you’re talking about.
DCguy
Anybody notice that the accounts responding and defending this guy are not able to bring up specifics?
i.e. claiming that the case against Schock was not damming. Really? Because the money he needs to payback totals over $100,000 and that is admitted.
Additionally, an executive from a large company in his district overpaid for Schock’s house by around $700,000. In other words, his house was worth $300,000 and the guy paid him a million for it. That’s a bribe to an elected official, and it negates the voting of his several hundred thousand voters who did not bribe him.
In addition, the thing people love to point to as a minor thing…him “misreporting” his millage on the car to the govt. He took tax dollars as reimbursement for so many miles, that he claimed the car had more “Work Miles” on it than the total millage of the car, by tens of thousands, this is additional thousands of tax dollars he stole.
Add in the fact that his office redecoration was a $30,000 bribe he wasn’t going to have to pay for until he was caught.
These are not small things, but yes, PLEASE keep lecturing me on how a black teen who stole even 10% of that amount of money wouldn’t be in jail……….Waiting…….
Black Pegasus
Wow so all 22 felony counts will be dropped if he promises to do his homework and be a good boy? If it smells like privilege it probably is…..
sfmike64
When your Daddy is a local bigwig (car dealerships if I recall) in a small city like Peoria, the rules done apply to you.
am
On insta he has amazing totally non-gay recent pics with Elton John and Sam Smith, Queerty should use those.
shakes_head
He’s been hanging out with other shameless white instagays in WeHo and Miami. Way to put your dick before your own civil rights guys!
Rock-N-RollHS
He’s not looking so good these days. Did he just emerge from a three-week stay at a PNP sex party?
Pete le meat
Aaron Schock is entitled to identify as straight if he wishes. After all, don’t you guys keep telling the world that self-identity is a personal choice?
DCguy
What a shock, the right wing troll account who calls #LGBTs “You guys” defends the closet.
Hdtex
No he’s not wing-nut.
Evji108
He looks like a beat-up pretty boy in that pic.
jorgecruz
If he wants to identify as conservative, straight and anti LGBT, he should stop showing up at Weho events with his sugar daddy and the gays that keep inviting him to these events should stop letting him in.
DCguy
Thank you!
mz.sam
Correctomundo!
GayEGO
I am shocked! I tell you, simply shocked! With the nut we have as the 45th, anything seems possible these days!
startenout
I am SHOCKED. So you’re saying that a moneyed white male in America can steal over $100,000 and face 22 felony charges and just be told to pay it back and we’ll wipe your record with no jail time so there’s the possibility he could run for public office AGAIN (the VERY place he stole the money), but someone poor and ESPECIALLY of color caught stealing far less will do jail time, have a permanent mark on their record which interferes with finding a job and housing AND be prohibited from ever voting again in some states even after leaving prison? THAT must be why people don’t trust a criminal justice system that punishes at a whim. There are minimum sentences for stealing from a bodega but NOT for stealing from the American people.