Former U.S. Representative Aaron Schock apparently won’t be going to prison for corruption or anything else as prosecutors decide to drop all criminal charges against him in what The Chicago Tribune has called a “deal virtually unheard of in a high-profile corruption case.”
You may recall that in 2015, he came under investigation for allegedly misusing taxpayer money and campaign donations to fund his lavish lifestyle. He allegedly spent $40,000 of taxpayer money to expensively decorate his congressional office to look like Downton Abbey, he took a male “companion” on an unreported all-expenses-paid trip to India and spent lavishly on private jets, shopping trips, Katy Perry concert tickets and fancy hotels.
Related: Aaron Shock Offered $1 Million To Appear In Hardcore Gay Skin Flick–Will He Accept?
The investigation proved too much for Schock, who resigned from office and subsequently left Instagram for 83 weeks.
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And though the investigation into his spending ended in March 2019 when prosecutors said they would drop all charges against him if he agreed to pay back $42,000 to the IRS and $68,000 to his congressional campaign fund.
In his agreement with prosecutors, Schock did admit to some shady dealings:
… Schock acknowledged he had a “regular practice as a public officeholder” of obtaining event tickets at face value and later selling them for a big profit.
He admitted that through this side practice, he failed to report $42,375 in income to the IRS over his six years in office. Schock also admitted overbilling the House of Representatives for mileage as he drove around his district for both official and campaign purposes.
Now that he’s avoided prison, the once-antigay politician is free to make out with dudes, shove his hand down gogo boys’ briefs, pick up pool bunnies poolside and take more pics of his junk even though barely seven years ago he told HuffPo’s Michelangelo Signorile that he wasn’t gay, calling Signorile’s inquiry “inappropriate and ridiculous” and not “worthy of further response.”
CenterRight
Now that all charges against Aaron have been dropped, it shows that the prosecutor just doesn’t enough evidence to charge him of any wrongdoings. Let’s stop treating him like a social pariah in the gay world and let him live like a gay man in his new found freedom.
Diplomat-G
Are you serious? There was more than enough evidence to convict this piece of trash.
derek mcgillicuddy
Thank you for your kind comment. I was dreading reading the comments here. I do not know why but Americans love to see people bleed and suffer. What happened to kindness?
JakeMiller1289
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david_warner
All this means is that he has a good lawyer and made a deal to escape prosecution. It does not in any way mean that he’s innocent or that they didn’t have enough evidence. It’s more white privilege.
mlo88
WTF? This fu &*er voted AGAINST gay rights in his time in office! He shouldn’t have any ‘rights’ since he’s so bent on denying other LGBT folks their rights. He is and always will be a lying, hypocritical, pariah!
ElPillo
Ok, we don’t like him and think him a hypocrite, but that plea bargain is standard in our system. It costs him what he overspent and is done.
Bryguyf69
CenterRight said “Now that all charges against Aaron have been dropped… Let’s stop treating him like a social pariah in the gay world and let him live like a gay man in his new found freedom.”
Wow, so much ignorance m. First of all, what gives you the idea that gay anger toward Schock resulted from his corrupt spending??? Have you forgotten about his homophobic voting record? His willingness to deny fellow gays of their rights just to further his political career? He could’ve just abstained from voting but no, he actively voted with the homophobes. The only thing worse than a homophobe is a hypocritical homophobe.
Second, why are you accusing the gay community of not “let[ting] him live like a gay man”? The fact that he still hasn’t officially come out — or apologized — has nothing to do with the gay community. It’s his own cowardice — and desire to not offend his remaining political supporters. To show how stupid your claim is, just look at who is outing him. Yep, gay activists. So it is gays who are letting/making “live like a gay man.” And who is against this “freedom”? It is politicians like Schock who vote against gay equality. He was — and is — his own prison guard.
So don’t go around implicating gays for Schock’s self-created prison. Have you even heard an acknowledgement of the harm he did or an apology??? Think about it.
Gandalf The Grey
You are crazy! Not only did they have this @$$H0LE dead to rights but this POS signed on to and voted for multiple pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. A simple half-apology is not acceptable. He has serious make-work for all the damage he has done before I’d consider accepting an apology for him or accepting this sweetheart deal he got from the prosecution and the judge!
MalachiMoore1570
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Diplomat-G
@derek Mcgollicuddy
What happened to Kindness? Donald Trump and Republican Hypocrisy coupled with gee I don’t know,,,, the fact that HE BROKE THE LAW or are gay closeted lawmakers who did everything in their power to punish our community above the law? Kindness—– give it a rest……
tomron
Thanks for eloquently saying what I would have said.
As a gay man, I have always advocated for our right to count as many scoundrels and flakes in our numbers % wise, as compared to the public at large. Mr. Schock was a POS, is probably still a POS, andf I would never welcome him into the ranks of sound thinking LGBT folks.
rustyiam
The leftists are being hateful as well! It’s now a part of our culture!
dwes09
So in your regressive little snowflake mind standing up for ethics and fair treatment is “being hateful”!? Remember Schock voted against YOUR full enfranchisement in society in a cynical bid for votes.
If you actually have a brain, you certainly have no idea how to use it. And if you think I am being hateful to you, I’m not, I am simply ridiculing a man who has made a point of appearing stupid by defending a corrupt politician simply because of his right wing politics.
Your attitude of licking the balls of those who have their boot on your back is hateful.
Paco
Still waiting for the hypocrite to apologize to the gay community for his anti-gay voting record while he was in elected office. Why does an unapologetic hypocrite deserve to be embraced by the community he tried to harm?
I realize there are many closeted gay men that are happy with not having equal rights as long as they still have park bushes and bathroom stalls, but the closet isn’t equality.
He needs to apologize.
CenterRight
I for one don’t think he needs to apologize at all. What’s done is done and nobody got hurt. Why are people so narrow-minded and unforgiving these days?
shakes_head
He hasn’t asked for forgiveness, let alone apologized or done anything to make up for his history of supporting harmful legislation. Let alone the fact that he is a criminal who is using his privilege as a rich white dude to get off scot free and live a lavish lifestyle while being gushed over by shallow white gays who care about themselves and their looks before their community. Ugh, enough defending this leech.
mlo88
CenterRight, clearly you do not seem to grasp the concept of taking personal responsibility for ones own actions. He deeply hurt and harmed many folks by voting against “don’t ask don’t tell” and his support of the federal marriage amendment among other hateful anti gay legislation. He is a typical right wing hypocrite who deserves no support from the very community he now wants to be a part of.
Kangol2
@Paco, CenterRight/CastleSF is trolliing yet again and has previously expressed his sexual desire for Schock (as well as an abusive British murderer, I believe, who held young, vulnerable gay men hostage), so the hypocritical DL Congressqueen Schock could have run down a road full of gay people while screaming anti-gay epithets, and CenterRight/CastleSF would still be defending him.
Schock not only should publicly apologize for his anti-gay votes, but should beg the LGBTQ community for forgiveness. Whether or not his lawyer got him off federal charges, he’s a total self-loathing, scam artist POS if he doesn’t apologize.
dre23222
Sorry but I don’t like this or him. Not only was he a antigay superficial try to be closet case, but he also broke the law. Just shows how people get off when al the evidence was there. Let this had been me or those other politicians who are minorities they would’ve hung for dry. Just sad that things are still backwards and stupid in 2019.
CenterRight
You really think the prosecutors will let him go free if they have strong evidence to show the jury that he should be locked up? There is no evidence there, folk! Some people just can’t accept the fact because their hearts is filled with hate.
david_warner
This guy ^^^^ clearly drank some of Trump’s deluded punch!!
dwes09
What part of plea bargaining do you not understand. How dull are you exactly?
Tombear
What Schock needs is a 20 man raw gangbang.
rogue4gay
Aaron Schock is a great case in point for understanding where the LGBTQ community is.
Aaron Schock is an extreme example of how a person deals with white privilege. Especially so since he has white privilege in both the str8 and gay communities. He’s got the looks that most girls in the str8 world and certainly guys in the gay world consider eye candy.
As for denying his sexuality to a HuffPo reporter, no reporter should ever ask a person about their sexuality. It’s not up to reporters to decide when a person should decide to come out. All that does is create a no good answer situation. HuffPo asked for their own self interests. Not to help Aaron Shock or anyone else.
Should Aaron apologize for his past discretions especially his positions that were “anti-gay”. If he doesn’t believe those “anti-gay” positions today, absolutely. In fact, he would be best served by using his “internet fame” at this point to promote LGBTQ positive positions. But he needs to do that when he’s ready, not when others decide he should. It’s similar to the reporter trying to out him.
Aaron Shock is a white privilege male having a problem understanding what it means to throw off one part of it, pretending to be str8. As the gay world, should we have high expectations for what we would like him to do at this point? Absolutely. Is it satisfying for the gay world to throw extreme shade because of the inconsistencies between who he was and who he is today? I emotionally can see myself saying “lets get real dude”. Is it healthy for me to be setting those expectations? No. I too was a white privileged good looking str8 guy who now is totally out as gay. Having the LGBT world push me to get there would have caused me really question whether I want to identify with LGBTQ community.
Paco
“As for denying his sexuality to a HuffPo reporter, no reporter should ever ask a person about their sexuality. It’s not up to reporters to decide when a person should decide to come out.”
If an elected official is voting for an anti-gay agenda while seemingly living a closeted gay life, the reporter has every right to expose the hypocrisy by asking such questions. I have no problem with self-hating closet cases torturing themselves, but when they go after other gay people who have the courage to live openly, then they need to be outed.
rustyiam
Oh brother!
Celtic
Quote: “Having the LGBT world push me to get there would have caused me really question whether I want to identify with LGBTQ community.” End quote.
Perhaps I am missing a beat in this part of your post. How on earth could/can the LGBT world push anyone into anything? I have been out for fifty-one years and your comments are discernibly forgiving. No one “pushed” into being gay.
I spent several years serving on gay rights boards and participating in gay rights organizations. I simply cannot figure out if you are continuing to try to forgive yourself, or Schock. Since you claim to be a person of privilege (I was not, am not), perhaps you see more of Schock in you than you want to.
Creamsicle
1. This is the result i expected, because we can’t actually make wealthy and well-connected men be held accountable for their crimes in this country. Prison is for the poors and the minorities.
2. His drug use and partying is really aging him. He looks nothing like that Men’s Health cover he did in 2015.
GayKnight
Well, I for one wouldn’t want the stress of an investigation, but the rest sounds like something any respectable hot, smart gay man might do till he was told you can’t.
Chris
Ok, guys. Why does everything have to turn into a”gay issue” and make it about us and how we’re mistreated and NOT about the issue at hand? I’ve been sorely mistreated, too, but I had to get over it (fired from a job with a healthy six-figure income), but let’s lick our wounds and move on. The best revenge is living well!
This issue stands on its own. He embezzled money from the tax-payers for personal gain. He admitted some wrong-doing and paid the price. He was wrong and was caught. Let’s hammer him for that and not, again, make it about “us” and our mistreatment. Sorry, ladies, it’s not always about YOU.
Bryguyf69
I have no idea what Chris’ post even means. Yes, it us about gays because his homophobic record is why gays hate him. Has there been any large scale gay protests over his corrupt spending? No. It was/is all about his homophobic record and hypocrisy. You claim that he’s paid the price for his corruption. So what? How does that make up for his homophobia and hypocrisy? How has he paid for that?
Has he even acknowledged the harm he’s done or his hypocrisy? OR APOLOGIZED??? So I’m not sure what you’re saying or protesting. You seem to be conflating two unrelated issues and projecting your ignorance onto the entire gay community. Think about it.
natriley
Aaron Schock’s behavior is scandalous, not criminal, He was ensnared in a flawed prosecution so draconian that it alarmed his peers other prosecutors. The prosecutorial infighting is noteworthy. Schock charged personal expenses to his government expense account not exactly a cosmic crime nor is the amount — $68,000 likely to shake the cosmos. And then this hardened criminal had a fiddle – a ticket scam. As a public official he purchased hard to get concert tickets at face value and then sold them to the highest bidder. Evidently, it was lucrative because he owed $42,000 in undeclared taxes. This amount may be a fraction of his total take. Most people who conceal income or cheat on their expense account don’t get criminally charged or if they do the punishment is a fine and a test period to show that you have kept your promise to not do it again.
The argument in favor of this treatment for a first time offender are so strong that it is the most likely outcome. The case for this mild treatment becomes stronger when the defendant shows remorse and takes responsibility for his misdeeds. And that is exactly what happened here. The member of Congress Aaron Shock gave up his seat; this one gesture demonstrated remorse and unequivocal responsibility for his misdeeds. He resigned in disgrace. An outcome demonstrating respect for the law.
But a problem blossomed in Peoria the U.S. Attorney reached a sharply contradictory conclusion. Aaron Schock was a public enemy. Here is how the Chicago Tribune told the story, “He was charged in a 24-count indictment in November 2016 [while Obama was still President] with wire fraud, mail fraud, theft of government funds, making false statements, filing false reports with federal election officials and filing false tax returns. A judge later dismissed two of those counts.”
This prosecutor threw the book at the defrocked Congressman. But sufficient doubts about the indictment existed that motions filed by defense attorneys motions successfully transferred the case to Chicago.
In this new venue Aaron Schock was forced to pay off his debts but has no serious criminal record and could run for office again. In other words he got a second chance. It may be his privilege as a public figure that produced this result, but I think it was his recognition that he couldn’t escape the charge of dishonoring his office. By resigning the showed that he understood the gravity of charges against him. This is how justice is supposed to work, we should applaud it while insisting that it must apply to black, brown and poor defendants.
pavel20
When someone asks you what the term “white privilege” means, just refer them to how this matter was handled.
mozzer
AMEN!
maxdadmark
SUBSEQUENTLY LEFT INSTAGRAM FOR 83 WEEKS??!! Oh, the humanity! Can everyone please forget about this fatuous asshole and move on? He is the poster-hag for past-their-freshness-date D-grade celebrities (hello, Mario Lopez).
mozzer
Of course, he’s rich, white and pretty. Those people never have to pay. It pisses me off because I am from Illinois and when Jesse JacksonJr and his wife Sandy did practically the same thing, both had to go to jail. This arrogant little bitch got off way too easy. Makes me sick how racist the judicial system is here in my state.
ShowMeGuy
Aaron is so sexy looking…….and disgusting acting.
jorgecruz
He may have been off his social media for the last year but he definitely wasn’t off grindr. His butthole pics are everywhere and his bottom was very popular with a circle of elite gays in Hollywood.
Shannon1981
This guy belongs in jail, but he is a Republican, so it will never happen.