By Patrick Svitek, The Texas Tribune
(March 17, 2017) – Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, has been charged with violating federal election law.
Stockman conspired with former congressional employees to funnel money intended for a charity to his campaign, according to a sworn statement from an FBI agent unsealed Thursday. He is also accused of making false statements to the Federal Election Commission.
The allegations center on a $350,000 donation Stockman solicited from an unnamed businessman shortly after taking office in 2013, according to the statement. The money was supposed to go to a Las Vegas-based nonprofit called Life Without Limits, but Stockman instead “secretly diverted the funds to pay for a variety of personal expenses and to fund illegal contributions to Stockman’s campaigns for public office,” the statement said.
Stockman, who is from the Houston area, served twice in Congress during the 1990s and 2010s. He gave up his seat to unsuccessfully challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the 2014 primary.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2017/03/17/stockman-charged-violating-federal-election-law/.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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