* Sun-Times…
A former state senator was the subject of a grand jury subpoena in January that sought his emails and mileage reimbursement records as part of an apparent federal investigation, according to documents obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times.
The subpoena issued to the state Senate out of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois sought emails, tax documents, mileage-reimbursement records and any payments made to William Sam McCann during his time in office from 2011 to 2018, records show.
The reimbursements in question would have come from taxpayer dollars. […]
The subpoena, sent on Jan. 3, came at the behest of U.S. Assistant State’s Attorney Timothy Bass, who was the one-time lead prosecutor in former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock corruption case.
I filed a FOIA request yesterday for the McCann subpoena and the Tom Cullerton subpoena (and any others that could’ve been filed). Click here to read them.
* Tony Arnold and Dave McKinney had the scoop…
McCann, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, told WBEZ Thursday in a text message that he had not been made aware of the subpoena until learning of it through WBEZ. He declined further comment.
McCann expensed $26,061.74 in travel reimbursements during his tenure in the Senate, according to records from the Illinois Comptroller. McCann, a Republican from downstate Plainview, served from 2011 until January 2019.
Campaign finance records show he also received more than $36,000 in mileage reimbursements from his campaign fund in 2017 and 2018. That would translate to nearly 68,000 miles of driving, based on IRS approved mileage reimbursement rates at the time.
Before his successful 2016 legislative re-election bid, McCann’s mileage reimbursements arose as an issue and led to a complaint filed with the State Board of Elections. That complaint was later withdrawn.
- Donnie Elgin - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 11:12 am:
“McCann, a Republican from downstate Plainview”
I thought McCann was a member of the Conservative Party.
- foster brooks - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 11:23 am:
these politicians are pro’s at padding the expense accounts
- Iggy - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 11:52 am:
Ruh Roh. isn’t funny to think that Sammy probably thought he would be running DNR right about now.
- RNUG - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 12:09 pm:
Anybody who followed McCann’s Facebook posts wouldn’t be surprised at a high number of miles claimed. Seemed like he attended every large or small event every day all over his district.
- City Zen - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 12:32 pm:
McCann has no choice but to Fight Back.
- Thomas Paine - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 12:38 pm:
That’s an average of less than 100 miles a day while running for statewide office.
Unless there is a lot more they are not telling, these seems like a dead-end inquiry.
- Reminiscing - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 1:07 pm:
Reminds of back in the day (yesterday) when an auditor general laundered campaign money through an auto service station…ho hum
- Really RNUG?? - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 1:08 pm:
Cmon RNUG. I know he is innocent to proven guilty but this isn’t a newspaper article or a tv ad whacking the guy, this is the feds. Stop trying to defend the guy. It will hurt your reputation.
- {Sigh} - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 2:11 pm:
=The subpoena, sent on Jan. 3, came at the behest of U.S. Assistant State’s Attorney Timothy Bass, who was the one-time lead prosecutor in former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock corruption case.=
And what was the outcome of the Schock’s case? {Sigh}
- RNUG - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 2:47 pm:
== Cmon RNUG. ==
Not necessarily defending him, but the miles don’t seem out of line for the size of his district and the kind of appearances I know he made.
Besides, I know all pols are questionable.
Did I ever mention my definition of an honest politician? … One who stays bought.
- Demoralized - Friday, Apr 12, 19 @ 3:39 pm:
68,000 miles for that time period doesn’t seem out of line to me. They couldn’t have been fishing just because of that number because that’s a pretty poor fishing expedition if that’s what they were using as the basis