HOUSTON - Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from charitable foundations and the individuals who ran them to illegally finance his campaigns and to pay for personal expenses.
Stockman was convicted in April after a three-week trial on fraud and conspiracy charges.
Jurors found him guilty of misusing charitable donations to pay for personal and political expenses.
Stockman was accused of plotting with others to use more than $775,000 from conservative foundations for purposes other than charity and voter education, as intended.
The Republican has claimed since his arrest last year that the "deep state" was targeting him -- though he has never offered evidence to support the claim.
While in Congress, Stockman secured $350,000 from an anonymous donor who thought he would be supporting Life Without Limits, a Nevada group that helps people in trauma. According to financial records, however, Stockman made few efforts to use the money as intended -- but instead, according to a federal affidavit, funneled the money for personal expenses and campaign contributions that falsely appeared to come from other people.