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A former Illinois state legislator and candidate for governor has been sentenced after pleading guilty to wire fraud and other corruption-related charges.

Former Illinois State Legislator Sentenced for Wire Fraud

Sam McCann, a former Senate Republican for Central Illinois from 2011 to 2019 and a candidate for the Conservative Party in the 2018 gubernatorial race, has been given a prison sentence of three and a half years.

Following his incarceration, McCann will be subject to a two-year period of supervised release. In addition, he was instructed to make restitution in the amount of $683,816.61.

It has been discovered that federal investigators began looking into McCann's campaign expenses as early as February 2019. In December 2019, WCIA conducted an investigation into McCann's expenses and discovered a significant amount of undisclosed payroll expenses totaling $168,665.

According to a spokesperson from the State Board of Elections, the expenses allocated to unidentified employees were deemed illegal at the time.

In 2021, McCann faced serious charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion.

In court, prosecutors presented evidence that McCann allegedly misappropriated funds from multiple political committees, such as Sam McCann for Senate, McCann for Illinois, and the Conservative Party of Illinois. Some of the funds were used for personal expenses such as cars, mortgage payments, and credit card bills.

William McCann Faces Severe Sentence

McCann, 54, confidently declared "God's got this" when he decided to dismiss his attorneys in 2023 and take on the role of representing himself, according to AP News.

However, he eventually changed his mind and began the trial with new legal representation. On the third day of testimony, McCann decided to give up and end the trial. He has recently admitted to seven counts of wire fraud, as well as one count each of money laundering and tax evasion, without any conditions or reservations.

The potential consequences for his actions were severe, with each count of fraud and money laundering carrying a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

McCann served as a state senator from 2011 to 2019 and later established the Conservative Party of Illinois during his 2018 campaign for governor. The labor union saw him as a worker-friendly "lunch-pail Republican" and showed their support by contributing $3 million to his candidacy.