Massachusetts State Democratic Lawmaker Arrested On Charges Of Embezzling Campaign Funds
October 21, 2020 Martin Walsh
Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service recently arrested a Massachusetts state House lawmaker on more than two dozen corruption charges for embezzling campaign funds and bank and tax fraud.
Massachusetts Democratic State Rep. David Nangle was arrested at his home in Lowell by FBI agents, according to a report from the Department of Justice.
Nangle, who served on the state’s House Ethics Committee, could face up to 30 years in prison amid allegations he illegally and unethically used campaign funds to live a lavish lifestyle.
According to the unsealed 28-count indictment, the Democratic politician purportedly conducted a scheme that began in 2014 that allowed him to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars from his campaign, a bank and the IRS to make personal purchases and to cover his gambling habit.
“As alleged, Rep. Nangle used the power of his position on Beacon Hill to fund a lifestyle out of his reach, unwittingly financed by those who put him there, while also cheating you, the taxpayers,” Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta of the FBI Boston Division said in a statement. “Today’s arrest should be a warning to others that corruption in any form, at any level of government, will not be tolerated.”
The 28-page indictment alleges that from 2014 to 2019, the 59-year-old former ethics committee chairman was heavily in debt as a result of “extensive gambling” at several casinos and at Internet gambling sites, and to sustain his habit he used campaign funds, defrauded his bank and failed to report income to the IRS.
He also used the funds to cover golf club dues, rent cars, and buy flowers for his girlfriends, gas, hotels, and restaurants.
Nangle is accused of stealing more than $70,000 from his campaign through the use of a debit card and buying gift cards purportedly for his staff and using them for his own expenses.
Nangle could face decades in prison depending on how many charges he is convicted on, prosecutors said.
“He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for the wire fraud charge. The bank fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years and a fine of $1 million. The charge of filing false tax returns could result in a three-year sentence and a $100,000 fine,” The Hill reported.
In total, he faces 28 charges, including 10 counts of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, nine counts of making false statements to a bank, and five counts of filing false tax returns.
Nangle apparently had a big gambling problem and racked up serious debt at various casinos throughout New England.
How did he fix this? According to the FBI, he used campaign funds to cover his debs — which is obviously illegal.
What’s even more bizarre is that Nangle sat on the state’s House Committee on Ethics, Rules, and Joint Committee on Rules.
Talk about irony.