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Former Illinois state senator William "Sam" McCann was sentenced to 42 months in prison on Tuesday for spending campaign funds on personal items such as trucks and recreational vehicles. McCann's admission to wire fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion resulted in this verdict, delivered by U.S. District Judge Colleen Lawless.

Sentencing Details and Legal Proceedings

Judge Lawless handed down the sentence five months after McCann pleaded guilty to the charges. In addition to the prison term, McCann received two years of supervised release and was ordered to pay nearly $684,000 in restitution. McCann agreed to the restitution ahead of his sentencing.

McCann has been incarcerated since February after failing to contact probation officers following his discharge from a hospital. This incident delayed his trial by about a week. During his three-day trial, McCann admitted to misusing campaign funds, leading Judge Lawless to order him to remain in custody until his sentencing.

William McCann Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Money Laundering : Background and Charges

Elected to represent Illinois' 49th District in 2011 and then the 50th District in 2013, McCann served until 2019. He did not run for re-election in 2018, instead launching an unsuccessful third-party campaign for governor.

Prosecutors charged McCann in 2021, accusing him of misusing over $200,000 in campaign contributions for personal spending between May 2015 and June 2020. This included buying a 2017 Ford Expedition, a 2018 Ford F-250, a recreational travel trailer, and a motor home. Additionally, prosecutors alleged McCann used campaign money to pay personal debts and mortgage payments.

Misuse of Campaign Funds

Further allegations stated that McCann spent nearly $50,000 on credit card payments for a family vacation in Colorado and purchases from iTunes, Amazon, Best Buy, and a gun store. After his failed gubernatorial campaign, McCann reportedly caused the Conservative Party of Illinois to issue about $187,000 in payments to himself and over $50,000 for payroll taxes, concealing his involvement by using a payroll service.

William McCann Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Money Laundering : Tax Evasion Scheme

The tax evasion charge stemmed from McCann's failure to report income from a scheme involving a recreational vehicle rental business. McCann created two online accounts with the business, listing the recreational vehicles he bought for rent on one account and posing as a renter on the other. He used over $77,000 in campaign funds to buy and rent from himself, according to prosecutors.

Legal Representation

The government was represented by Timothy Bass, John Hoelzer, Richard Kim, and Tanner Jacobs of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois. McCann was represented by Jason Vincent of Giffin Winning Cohen & Bodewes PC.

William McCann Sentenced to 3.5 Years for Money Laundering : Conclusion

William McCann's 3.5-year sentence for money laundering highlights the severe consequences of misusing campaign funds for personal gain. The restitution order and supervised release underscore the judicial system's efforts to hold public officials accountable for their actions.