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This list consists of American
politicians A politician is a person who participates in policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles or duties tha ...
convicted of crimes either committed or prosecuted while holding office in the
federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...
. It includes politicians who were convicted or pleaded guilty in a court of law. It applies to federal officeholders, whether elected or appointed. It does not include politicians involved in unprosecuted scandals (which may or may not have been illegal in nature), or politicians who have only been arrested or indicted. The list also does not include crimes that occur outside the politician's tenure unless they specifically stem from acts while they were in office. It does not include convictions which were vacated (e.g.
Ted Stevens Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. (November 18, 1923 – August 9, 2010) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senate, U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009. He was the longest-serving Republican Party (United St ...
(R)), but does include convictions that were pardoned. Although the convicted politicians are arranged by presidential terms in chronological order, many of the crimes have little or no connection to who is president. Since the passage of 20th Amendment on January 23, 1933, presidential terms have begun on January 20 of the year following the presidential election; prior to that, they began on March 4.


1776–1897

*
Matthew Lyon Matthew Lyon (July 14, 1749 – August 1, 1822) was an Irish-born American printer, farmer, soldier and politician, who served as a United States representative from both Vermont and Kentucky. Lyon represented Vermont in Congress from 1797 to ...
( DR-VT). First Congressman to be recommended for censure after spitting on
Roger Griswold Roger Griswold (; May 21, 1762 – October 25, 1812) was a lawyer, politician and judge from Connecticut. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court and the List of Governors of C ...
(
Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...
-
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
). The censure failed to pass. Separately, found guilty of violating
Alien and Sedition Acts The Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 were a set of four United States statutes that sought, on national security grounds, to restrict immigration and limit 1st Amendment protections for freedom of speech. They were endorsed by the Federalist Par ...
and sentenced to four months in jail, during which time he was re-elected (1798). * Charles F. Mitchell (R-NY) U.S. Representative from New York's 33rd District was convicted of forgery, sentenced to one year in prison and fined, though he was paroled early due to poor health (1841). * Robert Smalls (R-SC) U.S. Representative from South Carolina was charged with accepting a $5,000 () bribe during 1877 in relation to a government printing contract and found guilty. Smalls was pardoned in 1879 by South Carolina Governor William Simpson.


1901–1909 (Theodore Roosevelt presidency)


Legislative branch

* Joseph R. Burton Senator (R-KS) was convicted of accepting a $2,500 () bribe (1904). * John Hipple Mitchell Senator (R-OR) was involved with the Oregon land fraud scandal, for which he was indicted and
convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...
while a sitting U.S. Senator (1905). * Henry B. Cassel (R-PA) was convicted of fraud related to the construction of the
Pennsylvania State Capitol The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania located in downtown Harrisburg. The building was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with de ...
(1909).


1909–1913 (William Howard Taft presidency)


Legislative branch

* William Lorimer Senator (R-IL), The 'blond boss of Chicago' was found guilty of accepting bribes in 1912.


Judicial branch

* Robert W. Archbald (R) Judge of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a United States federal court, federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the United States district court, district courts for the following United Sta ...
, was convicted of corruption in 1912.


1921–1923 (Warren G. Harding presidency)


Executive branch

* Albert Fall (R) Secretary of the Interior who was bribed by Harry F. Sinclair for control of the
Teapot Dome The Teapot Dome scandal was a political corruption scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Warren G. Harding. It centered on Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall, who had leased United States Navy, Navy petroleum re ...
federal oil reserves in
Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
. He was the first U.S. cabinet member to ever be convicted; he served two years in prison (1922).


1923–1929 (Calvin Coolidge presidency)


Executive branch

*
William P. MacCracken Jr. William Patterson MacCracken Jr. (September 17, 1888 - September 20, 1969) was the first U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics. His department was awarded the Collier Trophy of 1928 for its contribution to the "development of airw ...
(R) Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics convicted of contempt of congress for the
Air Mail scandal The Air Mail scandal, also known as the Air Mail fiasco, was a political controversy that erupted in 1934 following a United States Congress, congressional investigation into the awarding of airmail contracts to select airlines. The scandal inte ...
(1934).Daniel D. Lee (1991) "Senator Black's Investigation of the Air Mail 1933-34", The Historian 53: 423–42


Legislative branch

* John W. Langley (R-KY) convicted of violating the Volstead Act (Prohibition). He had also been caught trying to bribe a Prohibition officer. He was sentenced to two years, after which his wife Katherine G. Langley ran for Congress in his place and won two full terms (1926).


1929–1933 (Herbert Hoover presidency)


Legislative branch

* Harry E. Rowbottom (R-IN) was convicted in Federal court of accepting bribes from persons who sought post office appointments. He served one year in Leavenworth (1931).


1933–1945 (Franklin D. Roosevelt presidency)


Legislative branch

* Michael J. Hogan (R-NY) was convicted of bribery and sentenced to a year and a day in a Federal Penitentiary (1935). * George Ernest Foulkes (D-MI) was convicted of bribery (1935). * Donald F. Snow (R-ME) was convicted of bribery (1935). * John H. Hoeppel (D-CA) convicted of selling an appointment to the West Point Military Academy. He was fined $1,000 () and sentenced to 4–12 months in jail (1936).


1945–1953 (Harry S. Truman presidency)


Legislative branch

* James M. Curley (D-MA) fined $1,000 () and served six months for fraud before
Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...
commuted the rest of his sentence (1947). * Andrew J. May (D-KY) convicted of accepting bribes from a war munitions manufacturer. Was sentenced to 9 months in prison, after which he was pardoned by Truman (1947). * J. Parnell Thomas (R-NJ) was convicted of salary fraud and given an 18-month sentence and a fine. He was imprisoned in Danbury Prison. After serving his 18 months he was pardoned by Truman (1950). * Walter E. Brehm (R-OH) convicted of accepting contributions illegally from one of his employees. Received a 15-month suspended sentence and a $5,000 () fine (1951).


1953–1961 (Dwight D. Eisenhower presidency)


Legislative branch

* Orland K. Armstrong (R-MO) was convicted of fraud (1953). * Ernest K. Bramblett (R-CA) received a suspended sentence and a $5,000 () fine for making false statements in connection with payroll padding and kickbacks from congressional employees (1954). * Thomas J. Lane (D-MA) convicted for evading taxes on his congressional income. Served 4 months in prison, but was re-elected three more times (1956).


1961–1963 (John F. Kennedy presidency)


Legislative branch

* Thomas F. Johnson (D-MD) was convicted of conspiracy and conflict of interest regarding the receipt of illegal gratuities (1962).


1963–1969 (Lyndon B. Johnson presidency)


Legislative branch

* Frank W. Boykin (D-AL) was convicted of conspiracy and conflict of interest (1963). * Daniel Brewster (D-MD) pleaded no contest to accepting "an unlawful gratuity without corrupt intent" (1969).


1969–1974 (Richard M. Nixon presidency)


Executive branch

*
Watergate The Watergate scandal was a major political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. The scandal began in 1972 and ultimately led to Nixon's resignation in 1974, in August of that year. It revol ...
(1972–1973) Republican 'bugging' of the Democratic Party National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel led to a burglary which was discovered. The cover up of the affair by President
Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...
(R) and his staff resulted in 69 government officials being charged and 48 pleading guilty, including seven for actual burglary. Eventually, Nixon resigned his position. *# John N. Mitchell (R) former
United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...
, convicted of perjury. *# Richard Kleindienst (R) United States Attorney General, convicted of obstruction, given one month in jail. *#
H. R. Haldeman Harry Robbins "Bob" Haldeman (October 27, 1926 – November 12, 1993) was an American political aide and businessman, best known for his service as White House Chief of Staff to President Richard Nixon and his consequent involvement in the Water ...
(R)
White House Chief of Staff The White House chief of staff is the head of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, a position in the federal government of the United States. The chief of staff is a Political appointments in the United States, politi ...
, convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury. Served 18 months in prison. *#
John Ehrlichman John Daniel Ehrlichman (; March 20, 1925 – February 14, 1999) was an American political aide who served as White House Counsel and Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs under President Richard Nixon. Ehrlichman was an important infl ...
(R) former
White House Counsel The White House Counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Off ...
, convicted of conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and perjury. Served 18 months in prison. *# Egil Krogh (R) United States Undersecretary of Transportation, sentenced to six months. *#
John Dean John Wesley Dean III (born October 14, 1938) is a disbarred American attorney who served as White House Counsel for U.S. President Richard Nixon from July 1970 until April 1973. Dean is known for his role in the cover-up of the Watergate scan ...
(R)
White House Counsel The White House Counsel is a senior staff appointee of the president of the United States whose role is to advise the president on all legal issues concerning the president and their administration. The White House counsel also oversees the Off ...
, convicted of obstruction of justice, later reduced to felony offenses and served 4 months. *# Dwight Chapin (R)
Secretary to the President of the United States The Secretary to the President is a long-standing position in the United States government, known by many different titles during its history. In the 19th- and early 20th-century it was a White House position that carried out all the tasks now sp ...
, convicted of perjury. *#
Charles Colson Charles Wendell Colson (October 16, 1931 – April 21, 2012), generally referred to as Chuck Colson, was an American attorney and political advisor who served as Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon from 1969 to 1970. Once known as ...
(R) Special Counsel to the President for Public Liaison, convicted of obstruction of justice. Served 7 months. *
Spiro Agnew Spiro Theodore Agnew (; November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1973. He is the second of two vice presidents to resign, the first being John C. ...
(R)
Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...
, pleaded nolo contendere (no contest) to income-tax evasion (1973). *
Maurice Stans Maurice Hubert Stans (March 22, 1908April 14, 1998) was an American accountant, civil servant, and political organizer who served as the 19th United States Secretary of Commerce from 1969 to 1972. He served as the finance chairman for the Committe ...
(R)
United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...
, pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the reporting sections of the Federal Election Campaign Act and two counts of accepting illegal campaign contributions and was fined $5,000 (1975).


Legislative branch

*
Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...
(D-MA) drove his car into the channel between Chappaquiddick Island and Martha's Vineyard, killing passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a suspended sentence of two months (1969) * Martin B. McKneally (R-NY) placed on one year's probation and fined $5,000 () for failing to file income tax return. He had not paid taxes for many years prior (1971). * Cornelius Gallagher (D-NJ) pleaded guilty to tax evasion, and served two years in prison (1972). * J. Irving Whalley (R-PA) received suspended three-year sentence and fined $11,000 () in 1973 for using mails to deposit staff salary kickbacks and threatening an employee to prevent her from giving information to the FBI (1973). * Edwin Reinecke (R-CA) convicted of perjury and sentenced to 18 months in prison as part of the Watergate investigation (1973).


1974–1977 (Gerald R. Ford presidency)


Executive branch

* Earl Butz (R)
United States Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organi ...
. He was charged with failing to report more than $148,000 of income in 1978. Butz pleaded guilty to the tax evasion charge and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation and was ordered to make restitution. He served 25 days behind bars before his release.


Legislative branch

* John V. Dowdy (D-TX) convicted of perjury and served six months in prison (1973). * Richard T. Hanna (D-CA) convicted in an influence-buying scandal (1974). * Frank Brasco (D-NY) sentenced to five years in jail and fined $10,000 () for conspiracy to accept bribes from a reputed Mafia figure who sought truck leasing contracts from the Post Office and loans to buy trucks (1974). * Bertram Podell (D-NY) pleaded guilty to conspiracy and conflict of interest. He was fined $5,000 () and served four months in prison (1974). * James F. Hastings (R-NY) convicted of kickbacks and mail fraud, he also took money from his employees for personal use. Served 14 months at Allenwood penitentiary (1976).


1977–1981 (Jimmy Carter presidency)


Legislative branch

* Andrew J. Hinshaw (R-CA) US Representative was convicted of accepting bribes. He served one year in prison (1977). * Richard Tonry (D-LA) pleaded guilty to receiving illegal campaign contributions (1977). * Charles Diggs (D-MI), convicted on 29 charges of mail fraud and filing false payroll forms which formed a kickback scheme with his staff. Sentenced to three years (1978). * J. Herbert Burke (R-FL) pleaded guilty to disorderly intoxication, resisting arrest, and nolo contendere to an additional charge of witness tampering. He was sentenced to three months plus fines (1978). * Frank M. Clark (D-PA) pleaded guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion and was sentenced to two years in prison (1979).


1981–1989 (Ronald Reagan presidency)


Executive branch

*
Iran–Contra affair The Iran–Contra affair (; ), also referred to as the Iran–Contra scandal, the Iran Initiative, or simply Iran–Contra, was a political scandal in the United States that centered on arms trafficking to Iran between 1981 and 1986, facilitat ...
(1985–1986); A secret sale of arms to Iran, to secure the release of hostages and allow U.S. intelligence agencies to fund the Nicaraguan Contras, in violation of the
Boland Amendment The Boland Amendment is a term describing a series of U.S. legislative amendments passed between 1982 and 1986, aimed at limiting U.S. government assistance to the Contras in Nicaragua. The Reagan Administration supplied funding and military tra ...
. *#
Elliott Abrams Elliott Abrams (born January 24, 1948) is an American politician and lawyer, who has served in foreign policy positions for President of the United States, presidents Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump. Abrams is considered to be a ...
(R) Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, convicted of withholding evidence. Given 2 years' probation. Later pardoned by President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
. * Michael Deaver (R)
White House Deputy Chief of Staff The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is officially the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, White House chief of staff, who is the senior aide to the president of the United States. The deputy chief of staff usually has an office in the Wh ...
to
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...
, pleaded guilty to perjury related to lobbying activities and was sentenced to 3 years' probation and fined $100,000 () (1987). * Operation Ill Wind was a three-year investigation launched in 1986 by the FBI into corruption by U.S. government and military officials, and private defense contractors. *# Melvyn Paisley (R)
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depart ...
, was found to have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. He pleaded guilty to bribery and served four years in prison. *#Victor D. Cohen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force, was the 50th conviction obtained under the Ill Wind probe when he pleaded guilty to accepting bribes and conspiring to defraud the government. He was sentenced to 33 months in prison. *#James E. Gaines, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, took over when Paisley resigned his office. Gaines was convicted of accepting an illegal gratuity and theft and conversion of government property. He was sentenced to six months in prison. * Deborah Gore Dean (R) Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, convicted of fraud (1988). *Housing and Urban Development Scandal was a controversy concerning bribery by selected contractors for low income housing projects. *# James G. Watt (R)
United States Secretary of the Interior The United States secretary of the interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior. The secretary and the Department of the Interior are responsible for the management and conservation of most federal land along with natura ...
, was charged with 25 counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. Sentenced to five years' probation, fined $5,000 () and 500 hours of community service (1995).


Legislative branch

* Abscam FBI sting involving fake 'Arabs' trying to bribe 31 congressmen (1980). The following Congressmen were convicted: *# Harrison A. Williams Senator (D-NJ) Convicted on 9 counts of bribery and conspiracy. Sentenced to 3 years in prison. *# John Jenrette (D-SC) sentenced to two years in prison for bribery and conspiracy. *# Richard Kelly (R-FL) Accepted $25K and then claimed he was conducting his own investigation into corruption. Served 13 months. *# Raymond Lederer (D-PA) "I can give you me" he said after accepting $50K. Sentenced to 3 years. *# Michael Myers (D-PA) Accepted $50K saying, "...money talks and bullshit walks." Sentenced to 3 years and was expelled from the House. *# Frank Thompson (D-NJ) Sentenced to 3 years. *# John M. Murphy (D-NY) Served 20 months of a 3-year sentence. * Jon Hinson (R-MS) was arrested for having homosexual oral sex in the House of Representatives' bathroom with a government staffer. Hinson, who was married, later received a 30-day jail sentence, and a year's probation, on condition that he get counseling and treatment (1981). * Joshua Eilberg (D-PA) pleaded guilty to conflict-of-interest charges (1981). * Dan Flood (D-PA) censured for bribery. After a trial ended in a deadlocked jury, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year's probation (1981). * Frederick W. Richmond (D-NY), Convicted of tax fraud and possession of marijuana. Served 9 months in prison (1982). * George V. Hansen (R-ID) censured for failing to fill in disclosure forms. Spent 15 months in prison (1984). * Wedtech scandal Wedtech Corporation was convicted of bribery in connection with Defense Department contracts. *# Mario Biaggi (D-NY) Convicted of obstruction of justice and accepting illegal gratuities he was sentenced to 2½ years in prison and fined $500K () (1987). *# Robert Garcia (D-NY) sentenced to 2½ years. * Pat Swindall (R-GA) convicted of 6 counts of perjury (1989).


Judicial branch

* Harry E. Claiborne (D) Chief Judge of the
United States District Court for the District of Nevada The United States District Court for the District of Nevada (in case citations, D. Nev.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Nevada. The court has locations in Las Vegas and Reno. Cases from the District of Nevada ...
, was convicted of tax evasion (1984). *
Walter Nixon Walter Louis Nixon Jr. (born December 16, 1928) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi who in 1989 was impeached by the House of Representatives and removed from of ...
(D) Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, was convicted of perjury (1986).


1989–1993 (George H. W. Bush presidency)


Executive branch

* Catalina Vasquez Villalpando, (R)
Treasurer of the United States The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as the custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage pr ...
, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and tax evasion (1992).


Legislative branch

* David Durenberger Senator (R-MN) denounced by Senate for unethical financial transactions and then disbarred (1990). He pleaded guilty to misuse of public funds and given one year's probation (1995) * Jay Kim (R-CA) accepted $250,000 () in illegal 1992 campaign contributions and was sentenced to two months' house arrest (1992). * Nicholas Mavroules (D-MA) was convicted of extortion, accepting illegal gifts and failing to report them on congressional disclosure and income tax forms. Mavroules pleaded guilty to fifteen counts in April 1993 and was sentenced to a fifteen-month prison term (1993). * Albert Bustamante (D-TX) was convicted of accepting bribes and sentenced to three-and-one-half years in prison (1993).


Judicial branch

*
Walter Nixon Walter Louis Nixon Jr. (born December 16, 1928) is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi who in 1989 was impeached by the House of Representatives and removed from of ...
(D) Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi was convicted of perjury, sentenced to five years in prison, impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate (1989). *
Alcee Hastings Alcee Lamar Hastings ( ; September 5, 1936 – April 6, 2021) was an American politician, and former judge from the state of Florida. Hastings was nominated to the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida by President J ...
(D), Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, was impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate of soliciting a bribe (1989). Subsequently, elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1992). * Robert Frederick Collins (D), Judge of the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (in case citations, E.D. La.) is a United States federal court based in New Orleans. Appeals from the Eastern District of Louisiana are taken to the United States Court of A ...
, was convicted of bribery and sentenced to six years, ten months (1991).


1993–2001 (Bill Clinton presidency)


Executive branch

* Darleen Druyun Principal Deputy United States Under Secretary of the Air Force. She pleaded guilty to inflating the price of contracts to favor her future employer, Boeing. In October 2004, she was sentenced to nine months in jail for corruption, fined $5,000 (), given three years of supervised release and 150 hours of community service (2005). CBS News called it "the biggest Pentagon scandal in 20 years" and said that she pleaded guilty to a felony. * Wade Sanders (D) Deputy Assistant
United States Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On Mar ...
, for Reserve Affairs, was sentenced to 37 months in prison on one charge of possession of
child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...
(2009). * Webster Hubbell (D)
United States Associate Attorney General The United States associate attorney general is the third-highest-ranking official in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). The associate attorney general advises and assists the attorney general and the deputy attorney general in poli ...
convicted of fraud and jailed for 21 months. (1996)


Legislative branch

* House banking scandal The House of Representatives Bank found that 450 members had overdrawn their checking accounts, but not been penalized. Six were convicted of charges, most only tangentially related to the House Bank itself. Twenty-two more of the most prolific over-drafters were singled out by the House Ethics Committee (1992). *# Carroll Hubbard (D-KY) was convicted of illegally funneling money to his wife's 1992 campaign to succeed him in Congress. *# Carl C. Perkins (D-KY) pleaded guilty to a
check kiting Check kiting or cheque kiting (spelled differently in American and British English spelling) is a form of check fraud, involving taking advantage of the float (money supply), float to make use of non-existent funds in a checking account, checking ...
scheme involving several financial institutions (including the House Bank). *# Walter Fauntroy (D-DC) was convicted of filing false disclosure forms to hide unauthorized income. *# Buz Lukens (R-OH) convicted of bribery and conspiracy. *# Mary Rose Oakar (D-OH) pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor campaign finance charge not related to the House Bank. * Congressional Post Office scandal (1991–1995) was a conspiracy to embezzle House Post Office money through stamps and postal vouchers to congressmen. *#
Dan Rostenkowski Daniel David Rostenkowski (January 2, 1928 – August 11, 2010) was a United States Representative from Chicago, serving for 36 years, from 1959 to 1995. He became one of the most powerful legislators in Congress, especially in matters of t ...
(D-IL) was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison, in 1995. *# Joe Kolter (D-PA) pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and sentenced to 6 months in prison (1996). * Wes Cooley (R-OR) was convicted of having lied on the 1994 voter information pamphlet about his service in the Army. He was fined and sentenced to two years' probation (1997) He was later convicted of income tax fraud connected to an investment scheme. He was sentenced to one year in prison and to pay restitution of $3.5 million to investors and $138,000 to the IRS. * Austin Murphy (D-PA) was convicted of one count of voter fraud for filling out absentee ballots for members of a nursing home (1999). * Mel Reynolds (D-IL) was convicted on 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice and solicitation of
child pornography Child pornography (also abbreviated as CP, also called child porn or kiddie porn, and child sexual abuse material, known by the acronym CSAM (underscoring that children can not be deemed willing participants under law)), is Eroticism, erotic ma ...
(1997). He was later convicted of 12 counts of bank fraud (1999).


2001–2009 (George W. Bush presidency)


Executive branch

* John Korsmo (R) Chairman of the Federal Housing Finance Board, pleaded guilty to lying to congress (2005). * Claude Allen (R) Director of the Domestic Policy Council, was arrested for a series of felony thefts in retail stores. He was convicted on one count (2006). * Lester Crawford (R) Commissioner of the
Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...
, pleaded guilty to conflict of interest and received 3 years suspended sentence and fined $90,000 () (2006). *
Scooter Libby I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby (first name generally given as Irv, Irve or Irving; born August 22, 1950) is an American lawyer and former chief of staff to Vice President of the United States, Vice President Dick Cheney known for his high-profile indic ...
(R) Chief of Staff to Vice President
Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...
(R), convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in the Plame Affair on March 6, 2007, and was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $250,000 (). His sentence was commuted by
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
(R) on July 1, 2007 (2007). Libby was pardoned by President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
on April 13, 2018. * David Safavian (R) Administrator for the
Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). The office's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, while it also examines agency pro ...
After an overturned conviction and a retrial, he was found guilty of perjury, and sentenced to 12 months (2008). * Robert E. Coughlin (R) Deputy Chief of Staff for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes relating to the
Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal The Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal was a United States political scandal exposed in 2005; it related to fraud perpetrated by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed Jr., Grover Norquist, and Michael Scanlon on Native American ...
(2009). *Felipe Sixto (R) Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs, convicted of misusing money. Sentenced to 30 months (2009). * Scott Bloch (R) United States Special Counsel, pleaded guilty to criminal contempt of Congress for "willfully and unlawfully withholding pertinent information from a House Committee investigating his decision to have several government computers wiped...." Bloch was sentenced to one day in jail and two years' probation, and also ordered him to pay a $5,000 () fine and perform 200 hours of community service (2013).


Legislative branch

* Jim Traficant (D-OH) was found guilty on ten felony counts of financial corruption, sentenced to eight years in prison and expelled from the House of Representatives (2002). *
Bill Janklow William John Janklow (September 13, 1939January 12, 2012) was an American lawyer and politician and member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party who holds the record for the longest tenure as the governor of South Dakota: sixt ...
(R-SD) was convicted of second-degree manslaughter for running a stop sign and killing a motorcyclist. Resigned from the House and given 100 days in the county jail and three years' probation (2003). * Frank Ballance (D-NC) admitted to federal charges of
money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...
and
mail fraud Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical (e.g., the U.S. Postal Service) or electronic (e.g., a phone, a telegram, a fax, or the Internet) mail system to defraud another, and are U.S. fede ...
in October 2005 and was sentenced to four years in prison (2005). * Duke Cunningham (R-CA) pleaded guilty November 28, 2005, to charges of conspiracy to commit bribery, mail fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion in what came to be called the Cunningham scandal and was sentenced to over eight years in prison (2005). * Bob Ney (R-OH) pleaded guilty to conspiracy and making false statements as a result of his receiving trips from Jack Abramoff in exchange for legislative favors in the
Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal The Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal was a United States political scandal exposed in 2005; it related to fraud perpetrated by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed Jr., Grover Norquist, and Michael Scanlon on Native American ...
. Ney received 30 months in prison (2007). * Larry Craig (R-ID) was arrested for lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on June 11, 2007, and entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge of disorderly conduct on August 8, 2007. *
Dennis Hastert John Dennis Hastert ( ; born January 2, 1942) is an American former politician, teacher, and wrestling coach who represented from 1987 to 2007 and served as the 51st speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2007. Hast ...
(R-IL)
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...
pleaded guilty in court for illegally structuring bank transactions related to payment of $3.5 million to quash allegations of sexual misconduct with a student when he was a high school teacher and coach decades ago. (2016) * William J. Jefferson (D-LA) was charged in August 2005 after the FBI seized $90,000 in cash from his home freezer. He was re-elected to the House in 2006, but lost in 2008. He was convicted November 13, 2009, of 11 counts of bribery and sentenced to 13 years in prison (2009). Jefferson's Chief of Staff Brett Pfeffer, was sentenced to 84 months for bribery (2006).


2009–2017 (Barack Obama presidency)


Executive branch

*
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
David Petraeus (I)
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency The director of the Central Intelligence Agency (D/CIA) is a statutory office () that functions as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency, which in turn is a part of the United States Intelligence Community. The director reports to the D ...
. On April 23, 2015, a federal judge sentenced Petraeus to two years' probation plus a fine of $100,000 () for providing classified information to Lieutenant Colonel Paula Broadwell (2015).


Legislative branch

* Mark D. Siljander (R-MI) was convicted of obstruction of justice (2012). * Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) pleaded guilty February 20, 2013, to one count of wire and mail fraud in connection with his misuse of $750,000 in campaign funds. Jackson was sentenced to two-and-one-half years' imprisonment (2013). * Rick Renzi (R-AZ) was found guilty on 17 of 32 counts against him June 12, 2013, including wire fraud, conspiracy, extortion, racketeering, money laundering and making false statements to insurance regulators (2013). * Trey Radel (R-FL) was convicted of possession of cocaine in November 2013. As a first-time offender, he was sentenced to one year probation and fined $250. Radel announced he would take a leave of absence, but did not resign. Later, under pressure from a number of Republican leaders, he announced through a spokesperson that he would resign (2013). * Michael Grimm (R-NY) pleaded guilty to felony tax evasion, the fourth count in a 20-count indictment brought against him for improper use of campaign funds. The guilty plea had a maximum sentence of three years; he was sentenced to eight months in prison (2015). *
Chaka Fattah Chaka Fattah (born Arthur Wesley Davenport; November 21, 1956) is an American politician who served as a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House for from 1995 to 2016. The d ...
(D-PA) was convicted on 23 counts of racketeering, fraud, and other corruption charges (2016). * Corrine Brown (D-FL) was convicted on 18 felony counts of wire and tax fraud, conspiracy, lying to federal investigators, and other corruption charges (2017). *
Anthony Weiner Anthony David Weiner ( born September 4, 1964) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1999 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States) ...
(D-NY) was convicted of sending sexually explicit photos of himself to a 15-year-old girl and was mandated to register as a sex offender. He also was sentenced to 21 months in prison, a sentence that was later reduced to 18 months. He reported to prison in November 2017 and was released in May 2019 (2017). * Steve Stockman (R-TX) was convicted of fraud (2018). *
Dana Rohrabacher Dana Tyrone Rohrabacher ( ; born June 21, 1947) is an American former politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives from 1989 to 2019. Representing for the last three terms of his House tenure ...
(R-CA) was charged with improper use of campaign contributions in a scheme to promote a decoy Democratic candidate in a state assembly election. Rohrabacher was found guilty and fined $50,000 (2012).


Judicial branch

* Samuel B. Kent (R), Judge of the
United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas The United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas (in case citations, S.D. Tex.) is the federal district court with jurisdiction over the southeastern part of Texas. The court's headquarters is in Houston, Houston, Texas, and ...
, was sentenced May 11, 2009, to 33 months in prison for having lied about sexually harassing two female employees (2009). * Jack Camp (R), Senior Judge of the
United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (in case citations, N.D. Ga.) is a United States district court which serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions. Appeals from case ...
was arrested in an undercover drug bust while trying to purchase cocaine from an FBI agent and resigned his position after pleading guilty to three criminal charges. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail, fined an undisclosed amount, and ordered to undergo 400 hours of community service (2010). *
Thomas Porteous Gabriel Thomas Porteous Jr. (December 15, 1946 – November 14, 2021) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. He served for sixteen years before being impeached and remove ...
(D), Judge of the
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (in case citations, E.D. La.) is a United States federal court based in New Orleans. Appeals from the Eastern District of Louisiana are taken to the United States Court of A ...
was impeached, convicted and removed from office December 8, 2010, on charges of bribery and lying to Congress (2010). * Mark E. Fuller (R) Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, was found guilty of domestic violence and sentenced to 24 weeks of family and domestic training and forced to resign his position (2015).


2017–2021 (First Donald Trump presidency)


Executive branch

*
Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
Michael Flynn (D), National Security Advisor, pleaded guilty to lying to the
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
. (2017)


Legislative branch

* Chris Collins (R-NY), pleaded guilty to insider trading (2019). * Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA), pleaded guilty to misuse of campaign funds (2019).


2021–2025 (Joe Biden presidency)


Legislative branch

* Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor of falsely pulling a fire alarm (2023). * Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) pleaded guilty to possession of a dangerous weapon at a TSA checkpoint (2023). *
Bob Menendez Robert Menendez (; born January 1, 1954) is an American former politician and lawyer who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate from 2006 until his resignation in 2024. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...
(D-NJ) was convicted on 16 counts for his role in a bribery scheme, including being an illegal
foreign agent A foreign agent is any person or entity actively carrying out the interests of a foreign principal while located in another host country, generally outside the Diplomatic immunity, protections offered to those working in their official capacity fo ...
(2024). * George Santos (R-NY) U.S. Representative for New York's 3rd Congressional District pled guilty to felony charges of identity theft and wire fraud, after being expelled from Congress following a report by the
House Ethics Committee The U.S. House Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Before the 112th Congress, it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. ...
. (2024)


See also

*
List of federal political scandals in the United States This article provides a list of political scandals that involve officials from the government of the United States, sorted from oldest to most recent. Scope and organization of political scandals This article is organized by presidential terms ...
* List of federal political sex scandals in the United States * 2017–18 United States political sexual scandals *
List of United States representatives expelled, censured, or reprimanded The United States Constitution (Article 1, Section 5) gives the House of Representatives the power to expel any member by a two-thirds vote. Expulsion of a Representative is rare: only six members of the House have been expelled in its histo ...
* List of United States senators expelled or censured State and local politics * List of American state and local politicians convicted of crimes


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of American Politicians Convicted Of Crimes Politicians convicted of crimes Federal American Federal politicians convicted of crimes