List of state and local political scandals in the United States

This is a list of state and local political scandals by chronology and state.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Scope and organization of political scandals

There is no hard and fast rule defining scandals. Though the dictionary may define scandal as "loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of morality or propriety", in politics scandal should be kept separate from 'controversy,' (which implies two differing points of view) and 'unpopularity.' A good guideline is whether or not an action is, or appears to be, illegal. Since everyone, particularly a politician, is expected to be law abiding, breaking the law is, by definition, a scandal. The finding of a court with jurisdiction is the sole method used to determine a violation of law—though not all scandals reach a court.

Deficit spending, laws and court actions are not "scandals." Neither are mere investigations. Misunderstandings, breaches of ethics, unpopularity, unproven crimes or cover-ups may or may not result in scandals depending on who is bringing the charges, the amount of publicity garnered, and the seriousness of the crime, if any.

By definition, political scandals should involve politicians such as governors, secretaries, comptrollers, state senators and state representatives, their close staff and appointees. Private citizens, businessmen and civilians may be mentioned but not featured in an entry.

This article is divided by decade and then by state in alphabetical order.

At the bottom of the article are links to related articles which deal with politicians who are actually convicted of crimes, as well as differentiating between federal, state and local scandals and two separate articles are devoted to political sex scandals and convictions.

List

Alabama

• Alabama State Representative Mike Hubbard (R) who is also Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, was indicted on 23 criminal counts of corruption. (2014)
• Alabama State Representative Terry Spicer (D) pled guilty to accepting more than $3000 per month in bribes. (2011)
• Alabama State Senator Lowell Barron (D) from DeKalb County was arrested and charged with six counts including two counts of ethics violations, and four counts of violation of the Fair Campaign Practices Act by writing checks from his campaign account to former staffer Jill Johnson. (2012)
• Alabama State Representative Greg Wren (R) a veteran legislator, pled guilty to a misdemeanor ethics violation and then resigned from the Alabama Legislature as a condition of his plea bargin. Wren admitted to taking actions in the Alabama Legislature that could have steered Medicaid pharmacy business to a Bessemer pharmacy cooperative that had ties to another company that had hired Wren as an $8,000-a-month consultant, according to the plea agreement.

Alaska

• Alaska Adjutant General Thomas Katkus who was appointed by Governor Sean Parnell (R), as head of the State National Guard and Katkus' chief civilian aide, McHugh Pierre, both resigned due to their handling of a sexual assault scandal within the National Guard in which 29 women soldiers were allegedly raped.(2014)

Arkansas

• Arkansas Treasurer Martha Shoffner (D), has been arrested by the FBI on charges of extortion and bribery.

Arizona

• Arizona State Representative Ben Arredondo (R/D) has been charged with bribery, fraud and extortion. He was found quilty and sentenced to 18 months of house arrest. (2012)
• Arizona State Senator Scott Bundgaard (R) resigned just before the State Senate Ethics Committee was expected to recommend his expulsion after allegations of assault on his girlfriend.
• Arizona State Representative Richard Miranda (politician) (D) resigned in February 2012 citing family and health reasons. In March 2012 he pled guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion.

California

• California Assembly Member Mary Hayashi (D) was convicted of shoplifting. (2011)
• California State Senator Roy Ashburn (R) of Bakersfield was noted leaving a gay bar and arrested on two counts of DUI. The divorced father of four confirmed he was gay on a local radio station, even though he had voted against several gay rights initiatives. (2010)
• California Southern California Treasurer Kinde Durkee was arrested for mail fraud.
• California State Senator Ron Calderon (D) charged with wire fraud, bribery, money laundering and falsification of tax returns. The California Senate gave the senator until March 3, 2014 to either resign or take a leave of absence, failing which a vote would be taken to suspend him from office.(2014)

Colorado

• Colorado former US Congressman and Gubernatorial Candidate Scott McInnis (R-CO) lost the primary election for governor after revelations surfaced that he plagiarized an essay on water rights, for which he had been paid $300,000.
• Colorado State Representative Douglas Bruce (R), In 2011, Douglas Bruce was convicted of four counts of felony criminal activity including money laundering, attempted improper influence of a public official, and tax fraud. He was sentenced on February 13, 2012 to a total of 180 days in jail, ordered to pay a total of $49,000 in fines, and subject to six months of probation which includes extensive disclosure requirements.
• Connecticut State Representative Brenda Kupchick, (R) was charged with assault in the third degree and disorderly conduct after a fight with her sister. (2013)

Florida

• Florida State Senator M. Mandy Dawson (D) was arrested for tax evasion in July 2011.
• Florida Lieutenant Governor Jennifer Carroll (R) On March 12, 2013, Carroll abruptly resigned on the same day she was questioned by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement about a gambling racketeering case concerning her consulting work. She has not been charged.
• Florida State Representative Mitch Needelman (R) was arrested for bribery and official misconduct while Clerk of Brevard County.
• Florida State Representative Ray Sansom (R) resigned from the House and his position as Speaker due to an ethics complaint involving his acceptance of a job at Northwest Florida State College and state funding that he apparently steered to that college when he was House Budget Chairman.
• Florida Chairman of the state Republican Party Jim Greer (R) was sentenced to 18 months in prison plus one year of probation after pleading guilty to four counts of theft and one count of money laundering, admitting he stole some $200,000 of party donations.
• Florida State Representative Dane Eagle (R) sponsored House Bill 1435, titled "Drug Free Public Officers Act" which would require public officers and elected officials to take drug tests. Anyone refusing to take the test would have to resign. Eagle was arrested and charged with DUI after officers observed him driving erratically, speeding and running a red light. Eagle refused to take a field sobriety test and later refused to take a breath test. The charges of DUI were later dropped and he pled guilty to a charge of reckless driving and was sentenced to 6 months probation.

Georgia

• Georgia State Senator Charles Walker (D) from Augusta, was convicted of 127 felony charges related to various schemes. Walker paid $698,047 in restitution and another $200,000 in fines and court fees. July 13, 2013
• Georgia gubernatorial candidate Linda Schrenko (R) served as the state’s schools superintendent for eight years and then made a run for governor. She stole $600,000 in federal funds set aside for educational services for deaf children and the governor’s honors programs. She used the funds for her campaign for governor and facial plastic surgery.(2006) She pled guilty to fraud and money laundering, and was sentenced to 8 years in prison, fined and will be required to serve 3 years probation.
• Georgia State Representative Robin Williams a Republican from Augusta, stole more than $2 million from the local community mental health center. He was convicted of conspiracy; theft; health-care fraud; money laundering; and bribery. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by three years of supervision.

Local

• Georgia, Gwinnett County Commissioner Shirley Lasseter (R) resigned and pled guilty to bribery. (2012)

Idaho

• Idaho State Senator John McGee (R) was arrested in June for drunk driving and grand theft auto after drunkenly driving away with someone else's truck. (2011) On July 16, 2011, the Republican Central Committee for the State of Idaho approved a no-confidence motion on McGee. On February 22, 2012, McGee, submitted his resignation amid sexual harassment charges asserted by a senate attachė.
• Idaho 2008 gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell (R) was arrested for felony jury tampering concerning an elk poaching trial in which he eventually pled guilty. (2011)
• Idaho former gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell (R) was arrested for battery after he confronted a couple he alleges were trespassing. (2011)
• Idaho State Representative Mark Patterson (R) resigned when the Republican Party learned he had been arrested in Florida in 1974 on a charge of forcible rape though he pled guilty to a lesser charge of “assault with intent.” He also claimed he was a graduate of USC and that he was a “professional road-racing cyclist,” both false.

Illinois

• Aaron Schock (R) resigned his position after weeks of allegations that he used campaign funds for travel, redecorating and other personal uses.(2015)
• Illinois State Senator Suzi Schmidt (R) announced she would not run for office in 2012. She had been criticized for telling a 911 operator to "just ignore" calls from her husband, "because he knows I have connections".
• Illinois Comptroller and Treasurer for Dixon, IL, Rita Crundwell was arrested for fraud after allegedly embezzling as much as $30 million over many years. The money was used to support a lavish lifestyle and support her horse ranch, the Meri-J. On February 14, 2013, Crundwell was sentenced to 19 years and 7 months in prison, just under the maximum 20-year sentence.
• Illinois State Representative Derrick Smith (D) was arrested for accepting a $7000 bribe. (2012)

Local

• Illinois Alderman of Chicago, Sandi Jackson (D) pled guilty to one count of filing false tax returns in conjunction with her husband US Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. pleading guilty to fraud in February 2013.

Indiana

• Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White (R) was convicted of 6 of 7 felony charges including perjury, theft and voter fraud.
• Indiana Deputy Attorney General Jeff Cox (R) was fired on February 24, 2011 after he sent a tweet stating that Wisconsin police should "Use live ammunition" to evict protestors from the state capitol. He later continued, "You're damned right I advocate deadly force".
• Indiana while serving as Florida Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett (R) in 2013 resigned his position in Florida after reports that, while in Indiana, he upped the grade of a charter school run by a major GOP donor.

Iowa

• Iowa State Senator Kent Sorenson (R) resigned after a special investigator found it “manifestly clear“ he violated ethics rules by accepting money connected to presidential candidate Michele Bachmann's campaign and then denying he'd done so.(2013)

Kansas

• Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline (R) had his law license suspended by the Kansas Supreme Court who cited “clear and convincing evidence” of professional misconduct. He was found to have violated 11 rules governing the professional conduct of attorneys during his tenure as the state’s highest law enforcement officer and while he served as Johnson County District Attorney.

Kentucky

• Kentucky U.S. Senator Republican Mitch McConnell’s Campaign Manager Jessee Benton (R) resigned his post when details of a bribery scandal from McConnell’s 2012 presidential campaign came to light.(2014).

Local

• Louisiana Mayor of New Orleans Ray Nagin (D) was found guilty on 20 counts of bribery. (2014)

Maine

• Maine Representative Frederick Wintle (R) On May 21, 2011, Wintle was arrested for pointing a handgun at a photographer at point-blank range in a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot. Wintle was arrested for criminal threatening. In September 2011, Wintle resigned from the House of Representatives.

Maryland

Local

• Maryland County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) of Prince George's County on December 6, 2011, was sentenced to seven years and three months in Butner federal prison in North Carolina and fined $100,000.

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts State Treasurer Tim Cahill (I) was indicted by a grand jury on April 2, 2012 on charges that he used $1.65 million of Massachusetts State Lottery advertising to aid his 2010 campaign for governor.
• Massachusetts State Representative Carlos Henriquez (D) was charged with assault and kidnapping of a woman in July 2012 and released after posting $1000 bond.
• Massachusetts State Representative Stephen Stat Smith (D) agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor counts of deprivation of rights under color of law for his role in a voter fraud scheme.

Local

• Massachusetts Middlesex County Sheriff James DiPaola (D) was questioned by Boston Globe reporters for exploiting a state pension loophole. The next day, DiPaola phoned the Globe and confessed. On November 27, 2010, DiPaola was found dead in Wells, Maine from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
• Massachusetts: Chairman and Executive Director of the Essex Regional Retirement Board Timothy A. Bassett was fined $10,000 by the state Ethics Commission, which found that Bassett had illegally used public time and facilities to further his lobbying business.

Michigan

• Michigan Supreme Court Justice Diane Hathaway, a Democrat elected in 2008, resigned on January 21, 2013 following a judicial commission’s recommendation that she be suspended for “blatant and brazen” ethics violations concerning her real estate transactions which were investigated by the FBI. (2013)
• Michigan State Representative Brian Palmer (R) of Romeo, pleaded no contest to one count of Neglect of Duty by a Public Official. The conviction stems from Palmer using his position as an elected official to assist the ring-leaders of a $9 million Ponzi scheme. Since Palmer lost $400K of his own money and assisted authorities in their investigation he received a reduced sentence.

Local

• Michigan Democrat Mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick was found guilty on 40 counts of racketeering and extortion.

Mississippi

• Mississippi Judge Bobby DeLaughter, who was made famous for finally convicting Byron De La Beckwith in 1994 for the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, pled guilty to one count of lying to the FBI in an unrelated case and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
• Mississippi Press Secretary Dan Turner resigned from the staff of Governor Haley Barbour (R) after Turner e-mailed jokes about the Japanese earthquake and Democratic Attorney General Janet Reno were made public. (2011)

Montana

• Montana State Senator Jason Priest (R) a representing District 30 in Red Lodge, was arrested for domestic violence and resisting arrest.

Nebraska

• Nebraska Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy. The married Republican politician resigned abruptly February 2, 2013 after using his state issued cellphone to make thousands of calls to four separate woman.
• Nebraska Lt. Gov. Lavon Heidemann (R) tearfully resigned and withdrew from the gubernatorial race of Pete Ricketts on the day after a judge granted a restraining order against him that was requested by his sister.(2014)

Nevada

• Democratic State Representative Steven Brooks was arrested September 5, 2013 just hours after the legislature expelled him. Lawmakers wept Thursday as they cited concerns about their own safety and evidence collected about an increasingly bizarre series of public incidents. Brooks had been indicted in Nevada in 2013 for felony possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and pled no contest to evading a peace officer and resisting arrest.

New Hampshire

• State Representative Gary Wheaton (R) resigned from the legislature after being arrested for speeding and driving on a suspended license, his second traffic arrest.

New Jersey

• New Jersey Operation Bid Rig is an ongoing, long-term investigation into political corruption in New Jersey conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service, and the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey since 2002. The investigation has resulted in the indictments of more than 60 public officials and politically connected individuals since its inception. In July 2009, sting operations resulted in the arrest of 44 people in New Jersey and New York, including 29 public servants and political operatives, and five orthodox rabbis from the Syrian Jewish community.
• New Jersey Abscam —sometimes written ABSCAM—was a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sting operation that took place in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The two-year investigation was directed from the FBI's office in Hauppauge, New York. More than 30 political figures were investigated, and among these thirty a total of seven Congressmen — six members of the United States House of Representatives and one United States Senator — were convicted. Not only were there members of Congress, but also one member of the New Jersey State Senate, members of the Philadelphia City Council, the Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, and an inspector for the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service.
• New JerseyBob Toricelli, US Senator.Late in an increasingly competitive race against Republican Doug Forrester in 2002, Torricelli suddenly withdrew after disclosure of illegal contributions to his campaign by David Chang, a businessman connected to North Korea.[8] " On July 30, 2002, Torricelli received a formal letter of admonishment from the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics, for his involvement with David Chang, and for the acceptance of gifts including a CD player, television, and earrings.[11]
• New JerseyGov. Jim McGreevey In early 2002, McGreevey was criticized for appointing Israeli national Golan Cipel as homeland security adviser even though he lacked experience or other qualifications for the position. Cipel resigned but threats from his lawyers about sexual harassment lawsuits prompted McGreevey to announce, on August 12, 2004, that he was gay and would resign the governorship, effective November 15, 2004. This made McGreevey the first openly gay governor in United States history."
• New Jersey the staff of Governor Chris Christie (R) partially closed the City of Fort Lee's entrance to the George Washington bridge allegedly as political retribution directed toward the Democratic Mayor of Fort Lee for non support of Governor Christie. Christie stated that he was “embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my staff.” Several appointees were fired or resigned.

1. Bill Baroni Mr. Christie’s top appointee to the bridge Port Authority, resigned in December after port officials testified the men had violated protocols and had sought to hide their plans for the lane closings from Fort Lee officials.
2. David Wildstein Christie's No. 2 appointee at the Port Authority — who attended high school with Christie — also resigned.
3. Bridget Anne Kelly Christie's Deputy Chief of Staff was fired.
4. Bill Stepien Christie's Campaign Manager resigned. His emails showed Stepien gloating over the traffic chaos that resulted when two out of three local approach lanes to the bridge were shut.

• New Jersey state senate candidate Phil Mitsch (R) was dropped by the state GOP saying this man is "not worth supporting." Mitsch had sent two tweets stating that, "a woman should be a maid in the living room and a whore in the bedroom".
• New Jersey Representative Robert Andrews (D) resigned while being investigated for possible ethics violations related to using his campaign funds for his own personal use.
• New Jersey Senator William C. Hunt (R) from Cape May County, resigned in April 1937 after a court investigation of his election showed voter fraud.

New York

• New York State Health Commissioner Antonia Novello (R) and former U.S. Surgeon General under President George H.W. Bush pled guilty to costing the taxpayers $48,000 by making her staff carry out personal chores for her such as taking her shopping and picking up her dry cleaning. Her plea deal calls for 250 hours of community service at an Albany health clinic, $22,500 in restitution and a $5,000 fine.
• New York State Senator Anthony D. Galluccio (D) was convicted and sentenced to one year in prison for violating his probation from a previous hit and run accident. He then resigned his seat in the legislature.(2010)

• New York State Assemblyman Sheldon Silver (D) was indicted on charges that he had collected nearly $4 million in bribes and kickbacks.(2015)

• New York State Health Commissioner Antonia Novello (R) pled guilty to costing the taxpayers $48,000 in overtime by making her staff carry out personal chores, such as taking her shopping and picking up her dry cleaning. Her plea deal calls for 250 hours of community service at an Albany health clinic, $22,500 in restitution and a $5,000 fine.
• New York State Senator Carl Kruger (D) resigned his seat and pled guilty to charges of corruption and bribery. (2011)
• New York State Assemblyman William Boyland, Jr. (D) was arrested for soliciting bribes. The assemblyman's chief of staff, Ry-Ann Hermon, was also arrested on related charges.
• New York State Senator Hiram Monserrate (D) of the 13th District, was expelled by the New York State Senate on February 9, 2010 in connection with a misdemeanor assault conviction against his girlfriend.
• New York State Senator Efrain Gonzalez (D) On May 25, 2010, Gonzalez was sentenced to 84 months (7 years) in prison, followed by two years supervised release, after pleading guilty to two conspiracy counts and two wire fraud counts in May 2009.
• New York State Assemblyman William Scarborough (D) charged with corruption. (2014)
• New York State Senator Vincent Leibell (R) on December 6, 2010, Leibell pled guilty to felony bribery, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice charges related to $43,000 in cash kickbacks he took from 2003 to 2006.(2012)
• New York State Senator Thomas Libous (R) was indicted on charges that the senator had lied to federal agents.

North Carolina

• North Carolina State Representative Stephen LaRoque, (R) a Republican from Kinston, was supposed to redirect loans from the U.S Department of Agriculture to small business owners in rural areas with limited access to capital, instead he took $300K for himself. He was convicted on 12 counts including theft, money laundering and filing false tax returns. (2013)

Ohio

• Ohio State Representative W. Carlton Weddington (D) was convicted on bribery charges and sentenced to three years in prison in June 2012.

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma State Representative Randy Terrill (R) from Moore was found guilty of bribery in connection with the 2010 Oklahoma political corruption investigation concerning the Office of the Oklahoma Chief Medical Examiner in which he bribed State Senator Debbie Leftwich (D-Oklahoma City) to give up her seat so State Representative Mike Christian (R-Oklahoma City) could run for it instead. Terrill was sentenced to one year in prison. Christian and Leftwich were not charged.(2013)
• Oklahoma State Senator Mike Morgan (D) was sentenced to five years’ probation for bribery and ordered to pay $12,000 in 2013.

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin (R) submitted her resignation a month after she and her sister Janine Orie pled guilty on February 21, 2013 of using government judicial staff, as well as the government staffers of another sister, former state Sen. Jane Orie, to work on their campaigns in 2003 and 2009.
• Pennsylvania legislator Joe Brennan (D) is accused of punching and choking his wife at their Fountain Hill home and was charged with assault. (2012)
• Pennsylvania State Senator and Republican Majority Whip of the Pennsylvania Senate, Jane Orie (R) was convicted in March 2012, of 14 counts of forgery, conflict of interest and theft of services, which included 5 felonies. (2012)
• Pennsylvania State Representative & Speaker of the House of Representatives John M. Perzel (R), pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges, including two counts of conflict of interest, two counts of theft, and four counts of conspiracy, concerning a scheme to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on computer technology from Aristotle, Inc. for the benefit of GOP political campaigns. (2011)
• Pennsylvania State Representative Brett Feese (R) sentenced to 4 to 12 years in state prison, an additional 2 years of probation, a $25,000.00 fine, and $1,000,000.00 in restitution for his role in the Computergate state government corruption scandal.
• Pennsylvania A Federal probe of using government staff for campaign work and paying them bonuses with public funds was dubbed Bonusgate and led to the arrest of six members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly plus staff. Including; [136]

1. State Senator Robert Mellow (D) now retired, was charged with one count of filing a false tax return. (2012)
2. State Representative Bill DeWeese (D) was convicted of five felony charges on February 6, 2012.
3. State Representative Mike Veon (D) was found guilty on 14 counts of illegal campaign fund raising. (2010)
4. State Representative John M. Perzel (R) pled guilty to eight criminal charges, concerning a scheme to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on computer technology from Aristotle, Inc. for the benefit of GOP political campaigns.

• Pennsylvania State Senator Vince Fumo (D) On March 16, 2009, Fumo was found guilty of 137 counts of corruption. His former aide, Ruth Arnao, was found guilty of 45 counts. On July 14, 2009, Fumo was sentenced to 55 months in prison. Aides were found guilty of destroying evidence.
• Pennsylvania Attorney General Ernie Preate In 1995, the former Republican candidate for governor went to jail after pleading guilty to corruption charges.

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island State Representative and Minority Leader Robert A. Watson (R) was stopped in Connecticut at a police checkpoint and was charged with possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalian, and driving under the influence.
• Rhode Island State Representative Daniel P. Gordon (R) of Porstmouth when arrested for drunk driving told police it was due to PTSD from being wounded in the Gulf War. A check revealed he was never in combat, but did reveal an extensive arrest record in Massachusetts for assault and attempted murder. Both the House Speaker and GOP leader have asked him to resign. (2011)
• Rhode Island House of Representatives speaker Gordon Fox (D) resigned as Speaker of the House, but will continue to serve as state representative, after an FBI raid on his house and office. No reason for the raid has yet been given. (2014)
• Rhode Island State Senator John A. Celona (D) was found guilty of accepting $320,000 in bribes from the Roger Williams Medical Center and Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison. (2007)

South Carolina

• South Carolina State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel (R) resigned his position following his indictment on a federal drug charge of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. (2007) He was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison and three years of probation.
• South Carolina State Representative Thad Viers (R) was arrested on January 6, 2012 on charges of harassing a 28-year-old woman described as an ex-girlfriend. He was released and subsequently withdrew his bid for another term in office. Viers was also charged in 2006.
• South Carolina State Representative Kris Crawford (R) from Florence County, was charged with seven counts of failure to file state tax documents. (2010)
• South Carolina Lt. Governor Ken Ard (R) resigned his position and pled guilty to 7 counts of mis-use of campaign funds. He was sentenced to 5 years probation, fined $5K and given 300 hours community service. (2011) [137]

South Dakota

• South Dakota U.S. Senate candidate Annette Bosworth (R) was arrested and charged by the Attorney General of SD with six counts of perjury and six counts of filing false documents related to election campaign laws. The arrest warrant was served a day after Bosworth lost the Republican primary with just 6 percent of the vote.

Tennessee

• Tennessee State Senator Jim Summerville (R) was arrested for stalking and assault. He had already been charged with public intoxication.

Texas

• Texas State Representative Ron Reynolds (D) was arrested and charged with violating the state barratry law (unlawful solicitation of clients by lawyers).
• Texas A three-judge federal court found the Republican-controlled Texas Legislature guilty of discriminating against Latinos and blacks in the drawing of new election districts and threw out its redistricting plans for both the U.S. House of Representatives and the state Legislature.
• Texas State Representative Drew Darby (R) is facing a felony charge after he attempted to take a weapon through a security screening at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Darby was booked into Travis County Jail at 7:22 a.m. on Nov. 14 after carrying a .38 caliber Ruger and six rounds of ammunition.
• Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst's (R) Campaign Manager Kenneth "Buddy" Barfield (R) pled guilty to charges of wire fraud, filing a false tax return and the embezzlement of nearly $1.8 million from the lieutenant governor's failed 2012 campaign for a seat in the U.S. Senate. (2014)

Utah

• Utah State Representative Sheldon Killpack (R) The Utah House Majority Leader resigned after being charged with suspicion of DUI. (2010)
• Utah Attorney General John Swallow (R) resigned amid questions about widespread ethics violations. Mr. Swallow said “I have vigorously maintained my innocence of all allegations.” He is charged with 2 counts of failing to disclose income, and a third alleges he made false and misleading statements On July 15, 2014, the FBI arrested Swallow and charged him with receiving or soliciting bribe or bribery by a public servant, false or inconsistent material statements, evidence tampering and misusing public monies. The arrest came after a search warrant was executed on the Swallow residence in June 2014.
• Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff (R) was arrested and charged on allegations of accepting bribes and destroying evidence.(2014)

Virginia

• Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) was sentenced to two years in prison, two years of supervision and 6000 hours of community service having been convicted on 11 counts of corruption for accepting $165,000 in gifts and loans in exchange for official government favors(2015).

Washington

• Washington State Representative Matt Shea (R) brandished an illegal handgun and chased another motorist at 60 mph through a residential area. The Spokane Police cited Matt Shea with two violations of the State’s firearm law. 2012

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin State Representative Bill Kramer (R) was removed amid allegations that he groped one woman GOP staffer and verbally abused another. Kramer was charged with two felony counts of second-degree sexual assault.(2014)

Wyoming

• Wyoming State Representative Bob Nicholas (R) was arrested in Florida for striking his son at a restaurant.

Alabama

• Alabama Governor Don Siegelman (D) was found guilty of bribery, mail fraud and obstruction of justice on 29 June 2006, and sentenced to 88 months.
• Alabama State Senator Edward McClain (D) was convicted on January 21, 2009 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama on 48 counts of money laundering, mail fraud, bribery and conspiracy. He lost his seat because of the conviction.
• Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore (R) was ordered to step down from his position when he refused to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from the Alabama Judicial Building. [138]

Alaska

• Alaska political corruption probe in which VECO Corporation, an oilfield service corporation, was investigated by the IRS, FBI and Department of Justice. Veco executives Bill Allen and VP Rick Smith pleaded guilty to federal charges of extortion, bribery, and conspiracy to impede the Internal Revenue Service. The charges involved bribing Alaska lawmakers who came to be known as the "Corrupt Bastards Club" to vote in favor of an oil tax law favored by VECO that was the subject of vigorous debate during the regular and two special sessions of the Alaska Legislature in 2006, and were part of a larger probe of political corruption in Alaska by federal authorities.

1. Thomas Anderson (R) State Representative for District 19. Found guilty of seven felony counts of extortion, bribery, conspiracy, and money laundering. Sentenced on October 15, 2007 to a term of 60 months in prison.
2. Pete Kott (R) State Representative for District 17. On September 25, 2007, he was found guilty on three charges of bribery and sentenced to six years in prison and fined $10,000.
3. Vic Kohring (R) State Representative convicted on November 1, 2007, of three counts of bribery by the Veco Corporation. In May 2008 he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
4. Jim Clark Chief of Staff to Governor Frank Murkowski (R) On March 4, 2008, Clark pleaded guilty to one felony conspiracy charge involving the Alaska political corruption probe.
5. Bruce Weyhrauch (R) State Representative of Juneau was sentenced to five years for bribery, extortion and mail fraud.
6. John Cowdery (R) State Senator of O district. Pled guilty to a conspiracy charge related to the Veco scandal. Sentenced to six months' house arrest and a $25,000 fine.
7. Beverly Masek (R) State Representative of Willow, was sentenced to six months on September 23, 2009 for soliciting bribes. [139]

California

• California State Senator Roderick Wright (D) charged with two counts of perjury, one count of filing a false declaration of candidacy and five counts of voting fraud. A grand jury accused him of lying about his address when he filed to run for office in 2008. (2008)
• California State Representative Michael Duvall (R-CA) The conservative, family values married politician and father of two resigned abruptly after talking with another legislator over a microphone that was live, during which he described two of his current affairs.
• California State Senator Carole Migden (D-CA) – The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) found 89 violations in campaign finance reporting. The FPPC settled the dispute with Migden for a record $350,000 fine. Migden went on to lose her reelection bid to fellow Democrat Assemblyman Mark Leno(2008)
• California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley (D-CA) was accused of laundering campaign funds and sexual abuse, though he was never charged. He later resigned (2005).
• California Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush (R-CA) resigned on June 28, 2000, rather than face impeachment for campaign-finance violations arising out of insurance-industry settlements after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. However, prosecutors later found no wrongdoings and dismissed all charges in 2002.

Connecticut

• Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland (R-CT) – Rowland resigned from office during a corruption investigation, and later pleaded guilty in federal court to one count with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and tax fraud. (2004) He served ten months in a federal prison followed by four months house arrest, ending in June 2006.

Delaware

• Delaware State Representative Phil Hampton (R) A federal appeals court upheld the bribery and extortion convictions of Representative Phil Hamilton. He was found guilty in May 2011 of parlaying his legislative influence into a part-time $40,000-a-year job at Old Dominion University in 2006 and 2007 and was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison.

Florida

• Florida State Senator Alberto Gutman (R) was convicted of corruption in a Medicare fraud scheme. Gutman, his wife and 23 others were sentenced to 5 years in federal prison, 3 years probation and fined $50,000. (2000)
• Florida Senator Gary Siplin (D-FL) was convicted of third-degree felony and grand theft of $5,000 or more for using state employees for his election campaign. The felony conviction was dropped on appeal. (2006)

Georgia

• Georgia State Senator Charles Walker (D) was found guilty of 127 of 137 counts, including mail fraud, conspiracy, campaign fraud and tax fraud, including skimming profits from a charity football game. (2005)
• Georgia Schools Superintendent Linda Schrenko (R-GA) was sentenced to eight years in prison for embezzlement of federal education funds.
• Georgia Congressman David Scott (D-GA) has expended $52,000 to $344,000 of campaign funds to himself, friends, family and business during every election cycle since 2002. Shortly after the 2006 election, he was served with an IRS tax lien for over $153,000.

Illinois

• Illinois House Leader Lee Daniels (R) Chief of Staff Michael Tristano pled guilty to one count of fraud for illegally steering up to $200,000 in state money and resources to help other GOP candidates. He was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for assigning legislative staffers to do campaign work on state time. Daniels was not charged. (2006)
• Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) was arrested and charged with 24 counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud and solicitation of bribery in so-called "Pay to Play" schemes, including the alleged sale of President Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat which he described in a wire tap as "f*****g golden". Before trial he was impeached and removed from office by 59–0 votes of the Illinois Senate. (January 28, 2009) On August 17, 2010, he was convicted on one of the 24 federal charges, lying to the FBI, and the jury was hung on the 23 other counts. In a retrial in 2011, he was acquitted on one count, the jury reached no decision on two counts, and he was found guilty on 17 other counts.

1. Alonso Monk, former chief of staff to Rod Blagojevich, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud (2009).
2. Christopher Kelly advisor to Rod Blagojevich, pleaded guilty to fax fraud (2009).
3. John F. Harris chief of staff to Rod Blagojevich, pled quilty to one count of mail fraud (2009)

• Illinois Governor George H. Ryan (R-IL) illegal sale of government licenses and contracts as Illinois Secretary of State and Governor. Convicted of 18 counts of corruption. (2006)
• Illinois Scott Fawell, noted Illinois Republican and Chief of Staff to Governor George Ryan was sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison for racketeering and fraud.

Kentucky

• Kentucky Deputy Secretary of Health and Family Services Steve Nunn and former Republican State Representative was arrested for the death of his girlfriend in 2009. On June 28, 2011, Nunn pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in prison.

Louisiana

• Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards (D) was convicted of extortion, mail fraud and money laundering. (2000)
• Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James H. "Jim" Brown (D) convicted of lying to FBI investigators.

Maryland

• MarylandState Senator Thomas L. Bromwell (D) was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to seven years in prison for racketeering, corruption and fraud to benefit construction company Poole and Kent.
• Maryland, Paul E. Schurick(R) the Campaign Manager for Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Jr(R), was indicted for fraud stemming from robocalls that were intended to suppress the black vote. The calls, which Schurick acknowledged, were placed on Election Day to African American voters stating that they could “relax” because the Democratic candidate had already won. Schurick was convicted of fraud and two counts of conspiracy and was sentenced to four years of probation and 500 hours of community service.(2002)
• Maryland, Julius Henson a campaign consultant for Robert L.Ehrlich (R) wrote and organized a robocall intended to confuse and suppress Democratic voters in largely African American districts. He was sentenced to 60 days in prison, banned from political work for 3 years and fined 1 million dollars.(2002)

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Republican Party vice-chairman Lawrence Novak, age 57, of Brockton, Massachusetts was sentenced to 87 months in prison having pled guilty on February 9, 2009, to charges of Endeavoring to Obstruct Justice and Money Laundering.
• Massachusetts State Representative and House Speaker Thomas Finneran (D) pled guilty to one count of obstruction of justice concerning misconduct during redistricting. (2004)
• Massachusetts State Senator J. James Marzilli, Jr. (D) was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in Arlington, Massachusetts. Prosecutors dropped the case for lack of sufficient evidence. Two months later verbally accosting a woman who was sitting on a park bench. When Lowell Police arrived, Marzilli gave a false name and later led Police on a foot chase that ended in a nearby parking garage. On February 22, 2011, Marzilli pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to three months in prison.
• Massachusetts State Senator Diane Wilkerson (D) was video-taped by the FBI stuffing bribe money into her bra. She was charged with tax evasion, ethics violations and perjury. On June 3, 2010 Wilkerson pleaded guilty to eight counts of attempted extortion. She was sentenced to 3​¹⁄₂ years in prison.(2011)

Local

• Massachusetts: Boston Councilman Chuck Turner (Green party) was videotaped by an FBI informant accepting $1,000 cash in exchange for pushing a liquor license for a Roxbury nightclub. Turner was found guilty of making false statements and bribery on October 29, 2010. He was sentenced to three years in jail.

Michigan

• Michigan State Representative David Jaye (R) was expelled from the House after allegations of wife beating and three drunk driving convictions.

Minnesota

• Minnesota the Republican Party of Minnesota was fined $170,000 for violating federal campaign finance regulations from 2003 to 2008. (2011)

Missouri

• Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith (D) resigned from the Senate effective August 25, 2009 after confessing to two counts of obstruction of justice. He was sentenced to one year and a day of prison and fined $50,000.
• Missouri State Representative Nathan Cooper (R) resigned shortly before he was convicted on two felony counts of immigration fraud in 2007.

Nevada

• Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons (R) was under investigation for alleged bribery when U.S. Attorney for Nevada Daniel Bogden (R) was fired by George W. Bush (R) in 2006. (see List of state and local political sex scandals in the United States)
• Nevada State Controller Kathy Augustine (R-NV) was impeached and convicted, but not removed from office. (2004)
• Nevada's Operation G-Sting or Strippergate was an FBI probe into bribes taken by Commissioners in Clark County, Nevada and City Council members in San Diego, California. It was the result of strip club owners Rick Rizzolo and Mike Galardi trying to change a "no touch" law affecting their clubs. The investigation resulted in the convictions of 17 defendants including:

1. Dario Herrera (D) Clark County Commissioner, in August 2006 was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison, fined $15,000 and ordered to forfeit $60,000 in assets.
2. Erin Kenny (D) Clark County Commissioner, in July, 2007, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and fined a total of $200,000.
3. Mary Kincaid-Chauncey (D) Clark County Commissioner, in August 2006, was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, fined $7,600 and ordered to forfeit $19,000 in assets.
4. Lance Malone (R) Clark County Commissioner and former Policeman Lance Malone was convicted of 37 charges of bribery and sentenced to three years in prison for his role in bribing San Diego city officials.
5. Ralph Inzunza (D) City Councilman of San Diego, California was also convicted of corruption

New Hampshire

• New Hampshire State Representative Nancy Warren (D) was charged with stalking a neighbor and trespassing on his property, the third time in two months. (2008)
• 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal In the 2002 Senate election Charles McGee was the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Republican Party. He was convicted of using computerized phone calls to "disrupt enemy communications" of a Democratic effort to get out the vote for their candidate running against John E. Sununu (R). It was one of the largest scandals in the state's history. Sununu was elected by about 19,000 votes.

1. Charles McGee pleaded guilty to a felony and was sentenced to seven months.

New Jersey

• New Jersey State Senator Wayne Bryant (D) pension padding, no-show jobs, mail fraud, wire fraud and bribery. (2007)
• New Jersey State Senator Joseph Coniglio (D) was indicted for funneled more than $1 million in public funding to Hackensack University Medical Center after it gave him a high-paying consulting job. He was convicted on April 17, 2009 on six counts of fraud and extortion and sentenced to 2​¹⁄₂ years in prison.

Local

• New Jersey Mayor of Newark Sharpe James (D) Was convicted of corruption charges including, mail fraud, conspiracy, wire fraud. (2007)
• New Jersey Mayor of Patterson Martin G. Barnes was an American Republican Party politician who served as Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey. He was charged with corruption by the federal government which resulted in a 37-month prison sentence in 2003.

New Mexico

• New Mexico State Senate Leader Manny Aragon (D) was found guilty of three counts of conspiracy to defraud $4.4 million from the State of New Mexico. (2009)
• New Mexico Treasurer Robert Vigil (D) was convicted as a result of a two-year-long FBI investigation into corruption. He was sentenced to 26 months in prison.

New York

• New York State Representative Gloria Davis (D) was sentenced to 90 days in jail and five years probation for bribery. (2003)
• New York State Supreme Court Justice Thomas J. Spargo (R) was convicted of attempted extortion and soliciting a bribe. Evidence showed that he solicited a $10,000 payment from an attorney, while Spargo was serving as a state Supreme Court Justice. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison. (2009)
• New York State Senator Kevin S. Parker (D) lost his position as majority whip after he was arrested for criminal mischief and assault after chasing a photographer.
• New York State Senator and Republican Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-NY) – On January 23, 2009, Bruno was indicted on eight counts of corruption, including mail and wire fraud. He was convicted on two counts of wire fraud.
• New York State Representative Brian McLaughlin (D-NY) was arrested in 2008 and sentenced to ten years in prison for racketeering.(2009)
• New York Gerald Phillip "Gerry" Garson New York Supreme Court Justice, Democrat. He was convicted in 2007 of accepting bribes to manipulate the outcomes of divorce proceedings.
• New York State Representative Diane Gordon (D), was indicted on charges alleging that she offered to help a contractor obtain a $2 million parcel of land from the city if he would build her a house. On April 8, 2008, she was convicted on two counts of receiving bribes, two counts of official misconduct and two counts of "receiving awards for official misconduct."
• New York State Senator Guy J. Velella (R) resigned from the Senate in 2011 and surrendered his law license as part of a plea bargain after being indicted on charges of taking $137,000 in bribes to help people win state bridge-painting contracts.

North Carolina

• North Carolina Governor Mike Easley (D-NC) involved in several scandals including lavish living and travel irregularities. He pled guilty to one count of campaign fraud and was fined $1000. (2009)
• North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Meg Scott Phipps (D-NC) pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges and served three years in prison. (2003)
• North Carolina Representative James B. Black (D) pleaded guilty to a federal charge of public corruption on February 15, 2007, and was sentenced to five years in prison. See Michael Decker (R)
• North Carolina Representative Michael Decker (R) was bribed by James B. Black (D) to switch parties and vote for Black. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy and was sentenced to four years in prison.
• North Carolina State Senator Frank W. Ballance (D-NC) was sentenced to four years in prison for corruption. (2004)

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma State Auditor Jeff McMahan (D-OK) was convicted of accepting bribes. (2008)
• Oklahoma State Senator Gene Stipe (D) pled guilty to federal charges of perjury, conspiracy to obstruct a Federal Election Commission investigation, and conspiracy to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act.(2003)

Ohio

• Ohio Governor Bob Taft (R-OH) pleaded no contest and was convicted on four misdemeanor ethics violations. He was fined $4000 and ordered to apologize to the people of Ohio. (2005)
• Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann (D-OH) resigns from the post of Attorney General because of a sex scandal and campaign finance irregularities. He resigned on May 14, 2008.

Oregon

• Oregon State Representative Dan Doyle (R) resigned from office and was sentenced to 15 months in jail for finance violations. (2005)

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania State Representative Thomas W. Druce (R) was convicted in 2000 of a 1999 hit and run that killed a man. He served two years in prison before his release in 2006.
• Pennsylvania State Representative Linda Bebko-Jones (D-PA) and her chief-of-staff were charged with forging some of the signatures on their nominating petitions. They were both sentenced to 12 months probation and fined $1,500 with community service. (2007)
• Pennsylvania State Representative Frank LaGrotta (D-PA) pled guilty to two counts of corruption for giving away $26,000 of state funds to family members through ghost employment in the 2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy. He was sentenced to six months house arrest, probation, and fines. (2007)
• Pennsylvania State Senator Bill Slocum (R-PA) pled guilty to six criminal misdemeanor charges for filing false reports to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and discharging 3.5 million gallons of raw sewage into Brokenstraw Creek while he was a sewage plant manager in Youngsville, Pennsylvania. (2000)
• Pennsylvania State Representative Frank Gigliotti (D) was convicted and sentenced in 2000 to 46 months incarceration for extortion, mail fraud, and filing a false income tax return.
• Pennsylvania State Senator F. Joseph Loeper (R) In 2000 Loeper pled guilty in federal court of falsifying tax-related documents to conceal more than $330,000 in income he received from a private consulting firm while serving in the Senate. He resigned his senate seat on December 31, 2000, and was later released from federal prison at Fort Dix, New Jersey, after serving six months.

Puerto Rico

• Puerto Rico Representative Edison Misla Aldarondo (R) Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, was convicted of extortion, money laundering, and witness tampering. He was sentenced to 71 months' imprisonment and three years' supervised release, fined $12,500, and ordered to forfeit $147,400. (2001) See state sex scandals.
• Puerto Rico Secretary of Education Víctor Fajardo (R), from 1994 to 2000, under the administration of Gov. Pedro J. Rosselló, is accused of extorting millions of dollars.

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island Mayor of Providence Vincent Albert "Buddy" Cianci, Jr. (R) His first administration ended in 1984 when he pled guilty to assault. His second stint as mayor ended when he was forced to resign following his conviction for racketeering conspiracy named Operation Plunder Dome served four years in federal prison.

South Carolina

• South Carolina State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel (R) was convicted on cocaine charges.
• South Carolina State Representative Thad Viers (R) was charged with threatening to "beat up" a man who was dating his estranged wife; he pled no-contest and paid a fine of $500. (2006) He would also be charged in 2012 for a similar crime.

Tennessee

• Tennessee Operation Tennessee Waltz – An FBI sting operation between 2003 and 2007 in which a number of state and local representatives were arrested including:

1. John Ford State Senator (D) Sentenced to 66 months for bribery.
2. Kathryn Bowers State Senator (D) Pled guilty to one count of bribery.
3. Ward Crutchfield State Senator (D) Pled guilty to one count of bribery.
4. Chris Newton State Representative (R) Sentenced to one year for bribery.

Texas

1. Judge Sharon Keller (R) Presiding Judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. After a US Supreme Court action, on September 25, 2007, lawyers for convicted killer Michael Wayne Richard wanted a stay of execution. Due to computer problems, however, they could not file the request before 5 pm when the clerk's office closed and requested to file late. When asked, Judge Keller stated that the clerk's office must close at 5, and Richard was executed later that night. On February 19, 2009 a motion of impeachment was filed with the state legislature. (2009)
2. Texas Attorney General Dan Morales (D) pled guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion in relation to a $17 million tobacco industry settlement with the State of Texas in 1998. He was sentenced to four years in a federal prison for mail fraud and tax evasion in a case involving Texas' $17 billion settlement with the tobacco industry in 1998. He was released in 2007.

Virginia

• Virginia State Representative Phillip A. Hamilton (R) represented the 93rd district and resigned in 2009. on the Virginia Peninsula, made up of parts of James City County He was convicted of bribery and extortion, and sentenced by a U.S. district court jury to 9​¹⁄₂ years in prison in August 2011.
• Virginia Republican Party Director Edmund Matricardi III (R) was charged with five counts of wiretapping after listening to and taping two conference calls in which Democrats discussed strategy. Under a plea agreement, Matricardi resigned from his position and will spend three years on probation and pay a $10,000 fine.(2003)
• Virginia House Speaker Vance Wilkins (R) was forced to resign his position following revelations that he’d paid $100,000 in hush money to a woman who had accused him of sexual harassment. (2002)

West Virginia

• West Virginia State Representative Lisa D. Smith (R) pled guilty to one count of mail fraud and one count of failure to pay employee taxes. She was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of probation and fined $1,000,000.

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin State Senator Brian Burke (D) was sentenced to six months in jail for using state employees for campaign work.

Local

• Wisconsin appointee Kevin Kavanaugh (R) was arrested for embezzling $42,000 from a veterans benefit organization called Operation Freedom. Kavanaugh had been appointed to run the organization by Republican Scott Walker (R) who was Milwaukee County Executive at the time. Four others were arrested and sentenced as well.

1. Tim Russell, appointed by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker(R) as Deputy Chief of Staff and Housing Director pled guilty during Operation Freedom to diverting more than $21,000 to his personal bank account.
2. Kelly Rindfleisch, appointed by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker(R) pled guilty to felony Misconduct in Public Office and was sentenced to six months in jail after admitting to campaigning for Republicans while working in Walker's Milwaukee County office.
3. Darlene Wink appointed by Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker (R) as Coordinator of Constituent Services, pled guilty to fundraising for Walker’s gubernatorial campaign while working in a County building.

Alabama

• Alabama Governor H. Guy Hunt (R) was convicted of improperly using campaign money and resigned from office.(1993).

Arizona

• Arizona Governor John Fife Symington III (R) was convicted on charges of extortion, making false financial statements, and of bank fraud in 1997. The conviction was overturned in 1999 by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Before retrial, he was pardoned by President Bill Clinton.

Arkansas

• Arkansas Governor Jim Guy Tucker. (D), As part of the Whitewater investigation run by Kenneth Starr, Tucker was convicted of fraud and conspiracy and sentenced to four years probation. (1996)

California

• California State Representative Brian Setencich (R) Speaker of the House, was convicted of tax evasion connected to his 1996 re-election campaign. (2000)
• California an FBI investigation called Shrimpscam or BRISPEC targeted corruption in the California legislature. Five convictions were obtained.

1. California Senator Alan Robbins (D) resigned on November 21, 1991, in advance of pleading guilty to federal racketeering charges in connection with insurance-industry bribes.
2. California Senator Joseph B. Montoya (D) was convicted in April 1990 of rackeetering, extortion and money laundering and was sentenced to 6​¹⁄₂ years in prison.
3. California Senator Frank Hill (R) and his aid were found guilty of corruption and money laundering and sentenced to 46 months in prison. {1994}
4. California Board of Equalization member Paul B. Carpenter (D) was found guilty of 11 counts of obstruction of justice and money laundering. (1993)
5. California State Assemblyman Pat Nolan (R) served 29 months for bribery.

Georgia

• Georgia Senator Ralph David Abernathy III (D) was found guilty of 18 felony counts including theft and forgery. (1998)

Kentucky

• Kentucky FBI Operation Boptrot was an investigation into bribery and the horse racing industry in which House Majority Leader Don Blandford (D), was sent to prison for 64 months and the Senate Minority Leader John Rogers (R) was sent to prison for 48 months. Approximately 10% of Kentucky's legislature, both the house and senate, was implicated in this scandal, some taking bribes for as little as $100. (1992)

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Speaker of the House Charles Flaherty (D) pled guilty to felony tax evasion for submitting false receipts regarding his business expenses and to violations of the state conflict of interests law. (1996)

Local

• Massachusetts: Essex County Sheriff Charles Reardon resigned after he pled guilty to taking kickbacks from process servers.

Missouri

• Missouri Secretary of State Judith Moriarty (D) impeached for misconduct involving back-dating of her son's election paperwork to hide a missed filing deadline.
• Missouri Attorney General William L. Webster (R) sentenced to two years in prison for conspiracy in a scheme that rewarded lawyers who donated to his campaign with bigger settlements. (1993)
• Missouri State Representative Bob F. Griffin (D) was indicted on October 31, 1996 on six bribery violations, two mail fraud violations, and one violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. He pled guilty to two counts of bribery and mail fraud, and was sentenced to 48 months in prison.

New York

• New York Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals Sol Wachtler (R) was arrested in November 1992, on charges including extortion, racketeering, and blackmail. He eventually pleaded guilty to harassing Silverman by threatening to kidnap her daughter. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison. (1992)

Ohio

• Ohio State Senator Jeff Johnson (D), was convicted of three counts of extortion in 1990.

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania Attorney General Ernie Preate (R) pleaded guilty to mail fraud. (1995)
• Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Rolf Larsen a Democrat, on April 9, 1994, was found guilty of two counts of criminal conspiracy. On June 13, he was sentenced to one year of probation for each count and removed him from office for the "infamous" crime of which he was convicted.

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island Governor Edward Daniel DiPrete (R) pled guilty to bribery and racketeering charges and served one year in prison. (1998)

Tennessee

• Tennessee Operation Rocky Top was an FBI operation which resulted in 50 convictions for bribery in connection with bingo operations. and the incarceration of several politicians. Following the scandal, Tennessee established limits on political contributions and placed new restrictions on lobbying. See 1983 listing.

1. State House Majority Leader, Democrat Tommy Burnett.
2. Tennessee Secretary of State Gentry Crowell (committed suicide in December 1989, just before he was scheduled to testify for a third time before a federal grand jury)
3. State Representative Ted Ray Miller of Knoxville (after being charged with bribery).

West Virginia

• West Virginia Governor Arch A. Moore Jr. The Republican politician signed a plea agreement with Federal prosecutors in which he admitted extortion, mail fraud, tax fraud and attempts to obstruct the grand jury that ultimately indicted him. He was sentenced by a Federal district judge to 5 years and 10 months in prison and a $170,000 fine.

Arizona

• Arizona Governor Evan Mecham (R) was impeached and removed from office on charges of obstruction of justice and misuse of government funds. He was acquitted of all federal charges later in the year. (1988)

Guam

• Guam Governor Ricardo Bordallo (D) was charged with obstruction of justice and witness tampering. On December 13, 1989, he was sentenced to four years in prison on the remaining charges.

Illinois

• Illinois Attorney General William J. Scott, (R) served from 1968 until 1982, was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for filing a falsified tax return.

Local

• Illinois Operation Greylord was an investigation conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the IRS Criminal Investigation Division into corruption in the judiciary of Cook County, Illinois (the Chicago region). A total of 92 people were indicted, including 17 judges, 48 lawyers, ten deputy sheriffs, eight policemen, eight court officials, and a member of the Illinois Legislature.

Louisiana

• Louisiana State Agriculture Commissioner Gil Dozier (R) was convicted of extortion and racketeering and jury tampering, which sent him to federal prison in 1982. Dozier was released from prison in 1986 when President Ronald Reagan commuted his sentence.
• Louisiana State Senator Michael Hanley O'Keefe, Sr. (D) from 1960 to 1983. In February 1983, he was convicted of mail fraud and two counts of obstruction of justice.

Maine

• Maine State Representative Donald F. Sproul (R) was sentenced to 10 days in prison for ballot tampering. (1988)

Maryland

• Maryland State Senator Clarence Mitchell III (D-MD), sentenced to 2½ years for bribery and obstruction in regards to the Wedtech scandal (1988)
• Maryland State Senator Michael Mitchell (D-MD), (brother of Clarence) sentenced to 2½ years for bribery and obstruction in regards to the Wedtech scandal (1988)

Massachusetts

• Massachusetts Transportation Secretary Barry Locke (D) was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to commit bribery and three counts of conspiracy to commit larceny for his part in leading a dozen kickback schemes at the MBTA. (1982)

Local

• Massachusetts: Boston School Committee member Gerald O'Leary was arrested and charged with attempting to extort a $650,000 kickback from a school bus company. He pleaded guilty to violating the Hobbs Act and was sentenced to eighteen months in prison. (1980)
• Massachusetts: An investigation by the United States Attorney's office into the administration of Boston Mayor Kevin White results in the indictments of:

1. William P. McNeill, Boston's former budget director (mail fraud)
2. George Collatos, former Boston Redevelopment Authority official (perjury)
3. Theodore V. Anzalone, former Boston city assessor and chief fund-raiser for White (extortion and evading a US currency reporting law)
4. Robert L. Toomey Sr., former aide to the mayor (perjury, fraud, and obstruction of justice)
5. Anthony Pepicelli, former director of Department of Inspectional Services (mail fraud and receiving bribes)

• Massachusetts: Former Lowell City Manager B. Joseph Tully was found guilty of attempted extortion and mail fraud and sentenced to three years in federal prison in a case involving a land swap made with an auto dealership during his tenure as city manager. (1988)

Minnesota

• Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Jon Grunseth (R-MN) dropped out of the race two weeks before the election when he admitted to a skinny-dipping party with his 13-year-old daughter and three of her friends. (1989)

New Jersey

• New Jersey State Senator David Friedland was a Democratic Party politician elected to the Senate, until his conviction on racketeering charges in 1980. He faked his death in September 1985 while awaiting sentencing and was one of the U.S. government's most wanted fugitives until his capture in the Maldives in 1987. On December 2, 1988, he was sentenced on the RICO count to a 15-year sentence to be served concurrently with the 7-year term applied for his original conviction.

Local

• New Jersey Mayor of Jersey City Gerald McCann (D) was convicted of fraud and removed from office in a savings and loan scam in 1981.

Ohio

• Ohio Donald E. "Buz" Lukens (R) was convicted of Contributing to the Delinquincy of a Minor and sentenced to 30 days in jail and fined $500. (See Sex scandals 1990 and Legislative scandals 1982)

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania State Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer (R) was found guilty of one count of bribery and then committed suicide on television before he was to be sentenced. (1987)

Tennessee

• Tennessee State Representative Tommy Burnett (D) was convicted in federal court for willfully failing to file federal income tax returns, and served ten months in prison. While in prison, he was re-elected to the Tennessee House with 60 percent of the vote. (1983) See 1990 listing.

West Virginia

• West Virginia Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr. (R) pled guilty to five felonies for accepting $573,000 in bribes. Moore served three years.

Arkansas

• State Senator Guy H. Jones (D) was convicted of tax evasion in 1973, he was expelled from the Senate in 1974.

California

• Lt. Governor Edwin Reinecke (R) was indicted and convicted on one count of perjury and sentenced to 18 months in prison as part of the Watergate investigation. The sentence was later overturned. (1975)

Illinois

• Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. (D) had retired as Governor and was a sitting judge in the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh District when he was charged with 17 counts of bribery, conspiracy and perjury for his actions as Governor. He was found guilty and served three years in prison. (1974)
• Secretary of State Paul Powell (D-IL) after his death in 1970, shoe boxes containing $800,000 in cash were found in his hotel room. He was never charged. (1970)

Local

• Maywood, Illinois Village Manager Paul H. Boucher was arrested and charged with theft by deception, improper use of license plates, and failure to register a vehicle in Illinois. He later pleaded guilty to theft of property under $150. (1970)

Louisiana

• Attorney General Jack P. F. Gremillion (D-LA) was sentenced to three years in prison for perjury concerning his cover up of dealings with a failed savings and loan. (1972)

Massachusetts

• State Senator George Rogers (D) was convicted of conspiracy to steal and bribe. He was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $5,000 (1978).
• Secretary of Elder Affairs Stephen Guptill resigned when it was revealed that he falsely claimed to have earned two college degrees. (1979)

Local

• Lowell, Massachusetts City Manager Paul J. Sheehy resigned after he was convicted of bank fraud and three counts of making false statements in Lowell Bank and Trust Co.'s books while he was a director there. He was sentenced to 60 days in prison and his lost license to practice law.

New Jersey

• State Senator James Turner (R) was convicted on charges of planting drugs in the home of his Democratic opponent, Assemblyman Kenneth Gewertz in an attempt to frame and ruin him. Senator Turner got five years in prison. (1974)
• State Senator Harry Lloyd Sears, Jr. (R) delivered a briefcase with $200,000 in cash from Robert Vesco to President Richard M. Nixon's re-election campaign. He was indicted on bribery and conspiracy charges and granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony against co-defendants US Attorney General John N. Mitchell and Maurice H. Stans.
• Secretary of State Paul J. Sherwin (R) was convicted in 1972 of trying to fix a $600,000 state highway contract for a contractor who then kicked back $10,000 to Republican fund-raisers.
• Secretary of State Robert J. Burkhardt (D) pleaded guilty in 1972 Federal Court to accepting $30,000 in bribes to 'fix' a bridge construction contract in 1964, when he was serving as Secretary of State to Governor Hughes. He was given a suspended sentence and three years' probation.
• Chairman of the Republican State Committee Nelson G. Gross (R) and US Senatorial candidate, was indicted in May 1973 on five counts of tax fraud and perjury. He was convicted on all five counts in March 1974.

Local

• Mayor of Jersey City Thomas J. Whelan (D) was convicted of a kickback scheme on city and county contracts.
• Mayor of Jersey City, John V. Kenny (D) In 1971, he was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey and convicted, along with former City Council president Thomas Flaherty, in federal court of conspiracy and extortion in a multi-million dollar political kickback scheme on city and county contracts. He and others were referred to as the "Hudson County Eight".

Oklahoma

• Governor David Hall (D) Three days after leaving office in January 1975, Hall was indicted for conspiracy involving Hall and Secretary of State John Rogers willfully steering State of Oklahoma employee retirement funds to investment funds controlled by Dallas, Texas, businessman W. W. "Doc" Taylor. Upon his conviction two months later for bribery and extortion, he became the first Oklahoma Governor to be convicted of criminal acts committed during his tenure.

Pennsylvania

• State Senator Henry J. Cianfrani is a Democratic politician who was convicted of racketeering and mail fraud for padding his Senate payroll. In 1977, Cianfrani was sentenced to five years in federal prison. After serving for twenty-seven months, he was released in 1980.
• Pennsylvania State Senator Frank Mazzei (D) Was found guilty of extortion in 1975. He entered federal prison in December 1975.
• Pennsylvania State Senator William E. Duffield (D) was sentenced to 6 months in prison for 11 counts of mail fraud. (1975)

Tennessee

• Governor Ray Blanton (D) was found guilty of mail fraud, conspiracy and extortion concerning state issued liquor licenses. He was tried, convicted and served 22 months in prison.

Texas

• Sharpstown scandal (1971–1972)

Wisconsin

• State Representative James R. Lewis (R) attempted to persuade scientist Myron Muckerheide to create a laser gun "designed to blind people", and to sell it to Guatemalan Colonel Federico Fuentes. Lewis pled guilty to perjury for lying to a federal grand jury investigating the scheme and was removed from office. (1979)

West Virginia

Governor William W. Barron (D) 1961–65, was found guilty of jury tampering and sentenced to 5 years in prison. (1971)*

Alabama

• Attorney General Robert Flowers (D) In 1969, Flowers was sentenced to eight years in prison for conspiring to extort payments from companies seeking licenses to do business in Alabama while he was in office. He was paroled in 1973 after serving 16 months in a federal prison and was pardoned by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. Mr. Flowers maintained that he had been set up on the extortion charges because of his stance on segregation in defiance of Governor George Wallace.

Arkansas

• Attorney General Bruce Bennett (D) charged with 28 counts of wire fraud and securities violations relating to a failed savings and loan. His poor health prevented the case from going to trial. (1969)

California

• Superior Court Judge Lloyd Davis Republican. On October 26, 1969, he stabbed his wife, with a 9-inch butcher knife. He was charged with felony assault to commit murder, tried in 1970 and found not guilty by reason of insanity.
• California Board of Equalization William G. Bonelli (R) On Feb. 25, 1955, Bonelli was arrested for receiving $250,000 in bribes from the liquor industry. Rather than return to California, Bonelli slipped across the border into Mexico, where he was promptly arrested at the request of the U.S. In May 1959, after he'd spent almost four years in a Mexico City prison, authorities refused to extradite him, and set him free. For the last 15 years of his life, he stayed in Mexico, a fugitive.

Illinois

• Auditor of Public Accounts Orville Hodge (R) pleaded guilty to bank fraud, embezzlement and forgery and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in 1956.

Massachusetts

• 1964 special grand jury investigation of corruption indicted:

1. Speaker of the House John F. Thompson (D) was indicted on 58 counts of conspiracy and requesting and accepting bribes. He died before the case was resolved. (1964)
2. Commissioner of Administration and Finance Charles Gibbons (R) was indicted on 23 counts of accepting bribes. (1964)

Local

• Mayor George T. Ashe was convicted by a jury on charges of conspiracy involving city purchases (1942). He was sentenced to a year in prison.

Michigan

• State Senator William C. Birk a Republican from the 32nd District. In 1945 he was convicted of accepting a bribe and sentenced to four years in prison.

Texas

• Veterans' Land Board scandal in (1954) Bascom Giles (D) was reelected as Texas Land Commissioner in 1954, but facing criminal investigation by the Texas Attorney General, he failed to appear to take the oath of office in January, 1955. Giles was eventually convicted of fraud and bribery and served three years of a six year prison term.

Alaska

• Territorial Governor John Green Brady (R) was forced to resign in 1906, after lending his name to the Reynolds-Alaska Development Company. Secretary of the Interior Ethan A. Hitchcock charged that Brady had acted improperly and the public clamor led Brady to resign in January, 1906 though Brady vigorously denied that he was guilty of any wrongdoing.

Arkansas

• State Senator Samuel C. Sims (D) was paid a bribe of $900 about legislation to regulate trading stamps and coupons. He was arrested, charged with bribery and convicted, and then expelled from the Senate.(1917)

Indiana

• Governor Warren McCray (R) was forced to resign after conviction for mail fraud. (1924)
• Governor Edward L. Jackson (R) was accused of taking bribes and trying to bribe a previous governor on behalf of the Ku Klux Klan. (1928)

Local

• Mayor of Indianapolis John Duvall, Republican and member of the Ku Klux Klan was jailed for thirty days and later convicted of bribery.

Kentucky

• Lt. Governor Henry Denhardt (D) accused of murder in the death of his girlfriend. His trial ended in a hung jury.

Louisiana

• Governor Huey Long (D) controversial and outspoken, Long was widely alleged to have used extensive bribery to prevent his impeachment. (1929)
• Governor Richard W. Leche (D) 1936–39, resigned in 1939, he was convicted in 1940 for mail fraud, corruption, and bribery. Sentenced to 10 years, pardoned by Harry S. Truman in 1953.

New Jersey

• Governor Harold G. Hoffman (R) admitted, in a letter after his death, to embezzling up to $50,000 a month while Commissioner of Motor Vehicles in the 1930s.
• New Jersey State Senator Roy T. Yates Republican, was shot by his mistress who was also receiving checks from the State of NJ. When an impeachment investigation was ordered, Yates resigned in 1931.
• State Senator Ralph W. Chandless (R) Expelled from the State Senate, December 5, 1930 for discrediting the Senate in regards to a sewer scandal.
• Senator William C. Hunt (R) from Cape May County, resigned in April 1937 after a court investigation of his election showed voter fraud.
• Secretary of State Thomas Alfred Mathis Republican. 1931-37. Indicted for tax evasion in 1937.
• State Senator Roy T. Yates (R), whose mistress was receiving unauthorized checks from the State of NJ when she shot him during an argument. When an impeachment investigation was ordered, Yates resigned in 1931.

New York

• Governor William Sulzer (D) was impeached and removed for campaign finance violations. (1913)
• New York Federal Judge Martin Thomas Manton was the first federal judge convicted of accepting bribes while in office in 1939.

North Dakota

• Governor William Langer (R) was removed from office in 1934 for alleged racketeering and barricaded himself in the Governor's mansion rather than leave. He was later acquitted and re-elected as Governor in 1936.
• Governor Thomas H. Moodie (D) impeached and removed from office for not meeting the constitutional requirements for office.(1935)

Oklahoma

• Governor Henry S. Johnston (D), impeached twice, was convicted the second time and removed for "general incompetence" (1928–1929).
• Governor John C. Walton (D) – Due to growing influence and rioting of the Ku Klux Klan, Walton declared martial law and suspended the writ of habeas corpus without the authority to do so. He was impeached and removed. (1923)
• Governor James B. A. Robertson (D) involved in political scandals with administering federal funds. (1920)

Pennsylvania

• Treasurer William L. Mathues (R) was convicted in connection to the Pennsylvania State Capitol graft scandal.(1908)

Tennessee

• Governor Henry Hollis Horton (D) was impeached and acquitted. (1931)

Texas

• Governor James Edward Ferguson (D), also known as "PA", was impeached and removed from office for financial misconduct (1917)
• Governor Miriam A. Ferguson (D), also known as "MA", was the first woman elected Governor of a state in the U.S. and wife of the removed ex-governor. She was implicated in the same financial improprieties that had brought down "Pa" causing her to lose the Democratic primary in 1926.

Arkansas

• Governor Powell Clayton (R) was investigated for corruption but acquitted. (1868–1871)

California

• State Senator Thomas D. Harp (D) was indicted for malfeasance.(1891)

Florida

• Governor Harrison Reed (R) originally appointed to a position in Florida after the Civil War, he was elected and then subjected to three separate impeachment inquiries all of which he survived. (1868–1872)

Kansas

• Senator Samuel Pomeroy (R) was arrested on charges of bribery and vote buying during his 1867 election. The trial was postponed several times and Pomeroy’s term ended before it concluded.
• Senator Alexander Caldwell (R) was accused of buying votes and bribing opponents such as Thomas Carney not to run against him. A US Senate Investigating Committee declared therefore that Caldwell had not been "duly and legally elected" to the Senate and on March 24, 1873, before a vote for expulsion could be taken, Caldwell resigned.
• Senatorial CandidateThomas Carney (R) (and former Republican Governor of Kansas), admitted that he had accepted $15,000 from fellow Senate Candidate Alexander Caldwell to leave the race and thereby assist in Caldwell's election in 1871.

Kentucky

• State Treasurer James "Honest Dick" Tate (D-KY) ran off with the entire Kentucky state treasury (about $247,000), left his wife and children, and disappeared. He was impeached in absentia and the word "Tatism" for crook, is still used in Kentucky today.(1888)

Louisiana

• Governor Henry Clay Warmoth (R) served as Louisiana governor. For his role in the fraudulent election of 1872, Warmoth was impeached but his term ended before he could be brought to trial.

Nebraska

• Governor David C. Butler (R) was impeached and removed from office for misuse of funds. He was later reinstated and elected to the Nebraska Senate. (1871)

North Carolina

• Governor William Woods Holden (R) was impeached for the actions of the North Carolina militia in trying to quell the lynching activities of the Ku Klux Klan in what became the Kirk-Holden war. He was the first state governor ever removed from office. (1870)

Oregon

• Governor La Fayette Grover (D) (later U.S. Senator) was implicated, but eventually exonerated, on vote-rigging charges to give Oregon's electoral votes in the 1876 presidential election to Samuel Tilden (D).

Wisconsin

• Governor William Augustus Barstow (D) Even though he vowed to never "give up his office alive" Barstow resigned in 1856 after investigations of election fraud gave the office to Coles Bashford.

Georgia

• Yazoo land scandal consisted of four repeated conspiracies to sell 40 million acres (160,000 km²) (mainly unsettled land in Georgia west of the mountains, to insider land speculators. It involved Georgia Governors George Mathews and Jared Irwin as well as Virginia patriot Patrick Henry. (1790–1803)

Mississippi

• Governor John A. Quitman(D) resigned in 1851 after indictment for violation of the Neutrality Act in connection with his support for a Cuban insurrection against Spain. He was acquitted of all charges.

Kansas

• Governor Charles L. Robinson (R) was impeached, but acquitted of a state bond scheme. (1862)

See also

• List of federal political scandals in the United States
• List of federal political sex scandals in the United States

Federal politicians:

• List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes
• List of United States Senators expelled or censured
• List of United States Representatives expelled, censured, or reprimanded

State and local politics:

• List of American state and local politicians convicted of crimes

References

This article "List of state and local political scandals in the United States" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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