Aaron Schock is officially off the hook for corruption charges including filing false tax returns, mail fraud, wire fraud, submitting false reports to the FEC, false statements, and theft of government funds, defrauding the government of more than $100,000.
In March, federal prosecutors agreed to drop all corruption charges against Schock (R-IL) if he paid back $42K to the IRS and $68K to his campaign and stayed out of trouble for six months in a deal known as a “deferred prosecution.”
The Chicago Tribune called the deal “virtually unheard of in a high-profile corruption case.”
Schock's troubles began when photos of his Downton Abbey-inspired congressional office leaked and it was then discovered that he illegally accepted a designer's services for free.
In March of 2015, the FBI began an investigation into Schock's spending habits, an investigation that ultimately revealed “untoward allegations” about Schock that would damage his reputation, according to his lawyers. Schock faced a 24-count indictment for filing false tax returns and covering up fraud schemes, and using government and campaign funds improperly.
The disgraced anti-gay Illinois lawmaker resigned from his seat in 2015 after questions arose about his alleged misuse of funds.
Headlines surrounding the former congressman have turned more personal in recent weeks after social media photographs showed Schock hanging out and traveling with various gay men. Schock has never apologized for his support of a federal amendment to ban same-sex marriage or his support of the military's ban on openly gay service members. He has denied he is gay when asked by the press.
So Schock's hypocrisy has been pointed out frequently in recent months, after photographs were taken of him with a group of gay men at the Coachella Music festival, he was spotted talking up various men at a West Hollywood pool, he was photographed putting money in a go-go boy's briefs, he was hanging out with a popular gay Instagram “influencer,” and after a nude, sexual video turned up on Twitter.
An FEC filing from Schock in early June raised speculation that he was planning another run for office, but Schock has denied that is happening.
