A Downstate federal grand jury Wednesday indicted former Illinois state senator and failed gubernatorial candidate Sam McCann, alleging that he used more than $200,000 in campaign contributions for personal expenses, including on vehicles.
McCann, 51, of Plainview, served as a state senator from 2011 to 2019, forming the Conservative Party of Illinois and launching an unsuccessful bid for governor. He is now charged with fraud, money laundering and tax evasion.
The indictment, returned in Springfield, alleged McCann used more than $60,000 in campaign funds to help pay for a 2017 Ford Expedition and a 2018 Ford F-250, $18,000 in campaign funds to buy a 2018 recreational travel trailer, and $25,000 in campaign funds to buy a 2006 recreational motor home.
In November 2018, following his campaign for governor, McCann allegedly directed $187,000 from the Conservative Party to himself “that were not for any services actually rendered,” along with $52,282 in payments for payroll taxes, the indictment alleged.
This is a developing story.
