ILLINOIS: Totally Not-Gay Former GOP Rep. Aaron Schock Arraigned On 24 Felony Corruption Charges

The Associated Press reports:

Former Illinois U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, once a rising star in the Republican Party, is being arraigned Monday on federal corruption charges alleging he used his position to spend lavishly on travel, World Series tickets and other luxuries.

The 35-year-old Republican is accused of using government and campaign money to subsidize an extravagant lifestyle, as well as pocketing thousands of constituents’ dollars. Prosecutors say he hosted Washington tours and meet-and-greets, charged a fee and kept some of the cash. Schock has said he is innocent, referring to the spending in question as “honest mistakes.”

“As I have said before, we might have made errors among a few of the thousands and thousands of financial transactions we conducted, but they were honest mistakes — no one intended to break any law,” he said the day the 24-count federal indictment was unveiled last month.

Schock resigned in March 2015 amid intensifying scrutiny over real estate deals, extensive travel and other spending. Questions about his spending were sparked in part by word that he redecorated his congressional office in the lavish style of TV’s “Downton Abbey.”