18 Jan 2020 8:58 pm
The first two members of Congress to endorse Trump are both headed to prison.
Chris Collins, First U.S. Lawmaker To Endorse Trump, Gets 26-Month Prison Sentence
A judge on Friday sentenced former Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), an early and staunch ally of President Donald Trump, to 26 months in prison after he pleaded guilty last September to conspiracy to commit securities fraud.
Collins, the first member of Congress to endorse Trump’s 2016 presidential bid, used his position as the largest shareholder in the Australian biotechnology company Innate Immunotherapeutics to illegally give other stockholders an inside tip that a test of the company’s main product had failed.
Duncan Hunter, Second U.S. Lawmaker To Endorse Trump, To Be Sentenced To Prison In March.
Rep. Duncan Hunter will officially step down from Congress next week, more than a month after the California Republican pleaded guilty to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds.
Hunter, 43, and his wife Margaret were indicted in August 2018 for allegedly diverting $250,000 in campaign funds for personal use, including to pay for lavish family vacations and their children’s school tuition.
Prosecutors also accused Hunter of using campaign cash to pursue extramarital affairs with lobbyists and congressional aides.
The Hunters, who have three children, face recommended prison sentences of 8 to 14 months in the agreements worked out by their lawyers and the Justice Department, although the court is not bound to abide by those plea deals.
Hunter is set to be sentenced on March 17.