Former Rep. Aaron Schock pleads not guilty in corruption case – Politico

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Former Rep. Aaron Schock pleaded not guilty Monday to two dozen counts of felony corruption, including wire and mail fraud, falsifying federal campaign forms, stealing government funds and filing false tax returns.

Schock has maintained his innocence since federal prosecutors handed down the 24 count indictment in November accusing the disgraced former Illinois lawmaker of using his campaign accounts and congressional office to personally pocket money and purchase goods worth thousands of dollars.

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Schock, 35, is now set to face trial on Feb. 7, 2017, although that date could get pushed back if his lawyers request more time given the large number of documents tied to the case.

Federal prosecutors did not make a statement following the hearing. And while many conditions of Schock’s bond are sealed in a pretrial report, some issues did come up during the arraignment, and were debated by prosecutor and the defense team.

The two sides debated whether Schock could discuss the trial with potential witnesses, including family members with ties to his campaign. Ultimately, the prosecution agreed to provide a list of witnesses they didn’t want Schock discussing the trial with.

Schock is also restricted from traveling outside of the country except for work. And he has to have prior approval to travel from his home in Peoria. Schock’s legal residence is in Peoria but he also maintains a home in Los Angeles, where he works, according to his lawyers.

Monday’s arraignment comes after both Schock’s defense team and federal prosecutors traded pretrial motions in an effort to win an advantage.

First, Schock petitioned to have the case moved to his hometown, Peoria, about 75 miles north of the state capital. U.S. District Court Judge Sue Myerscough denied Schock’s request, only to turn around a few days later and deny prosecutor’s petition to institute a gag order in the case.

Myerscough, in a Friday afternoon ruling, said prosecutors failed to justify why such an order would be necessary, saying remarks from the defense team criticizing the government’s handling of the case hadn’t crossed a line that could influence the outcome of the trial.

“While this is a high-profile case that has and will generate a significant amount of publicity, the Court has no reason to believe at this point that the parties’ conduct poses a serious and imminent threat to the administration of justice,” Myerscough wrote.

Also on Monday, Schock’s attorneys argued in a filing that he be allowed to continue to use his campaign funds to pay legal fees. As of October, Schock had roughly $315,000 on hand, and $746,000 in debts.

The wide-ranging indictment accuses Schock of using his congressional office and multiple campaign committees to illegally support his high-end lifestyle, including subsidizing the purchase of $30,000 in camera equipment, a $74,000 SUV and office redecorations that included a $5,000 chandelier.

Schock is also accused of pocketing more than $138,000 in mileage reimbursements after filing false claims..

He resigned in March 2015 after questions from POLITICO about tens of thousands of dollars in questionable mileage reimbursements. At the time, Schock personally claimed reimbursement for roughly 170,000 miles driven from 2010 to mid-2014, POLITICO reported. But the only vehicle he owned at the time was sold with just 80,000 miles on the odometer.

Prosecutors allege Schock billed the government and his campaign committees for 150,000 miles more than the vehicles were actually driven.

Schock is also accused of illegally billing the government and his campaign committees for various personal travel expenses, including use of a private plane and nearly $1,800 in hotel and restaurant expenses during a trip to see the Chicago Bears play.

Schock “repeatedly” used private planes and helicopter services for personal use during his time in Congress but relied on federal or campaign funds to cover the costs, according to prosecutors.

For example, Schock chartered a private plane to fly to Washington during a personal trip to Europe and then ordered the more than $8,000 in costs to be covered by his campaign committees, according to the indictment.

Schock is also accused of using his committees as a front for personal gain in other ways, including using the accounts to buy Super Bowl tickets and then selling them for a higher price, pocketing the profit.

Prosecutors say Schock even embezzled campaign funds to cover $7,000 in personal travel expenses after resigning from Congress, including attending the American Country Music Awards in April 2015.

Schock’s defense team has said the former congressman is guilty of nothing more than bad bookkeeping, calling the charges “made-up allegations of criminal activity arising from unintentional administrative errors.”