List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes explained

This list consists of American politicians convicted of crimes either committed or prosecuted while holding office in the federal government. It includes politicians who were convicted or pleaded guilty in a court of law; and does not include politicians involved in unprosecuted scandals (which may or may not have been illegal in nature), or politicians who have only been arrested or indicted. The list also does not include crimes that occur outside the politician's tenure unless they specifically stem from acts while they were in office. It does not include convictions which were vacated (e.g. Ted Stevens (R)), but does include convictions that were pardoned.

Although the convicted politicians are arranged by presidential terms in chronological order, many of the crimes have little or no connection to who is president. Since the passage of 20th Amendment on January 23, 1933, presidential terms have begun on January 20 of the year following the presidential election; prior to that, they began on March 4.

1776–1897

1901–1909 (Theodore Roosevelt presidency)

Legislative branch

1909–1913 (William Howard Taft presidency)

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

1921–1923 (Warren G. Harding presidency)

Executive branch

1923–1929 (Calvin Coolidge presidency)

Executive branch

Legislative branch

1929–1933 (Herbert Hoover presidency)

Legislative branch

1933–1945 (Franklin D. Roosevelt presidency)

Legislative branch

1945–1953 (Harry S. Truman presidency)

Legislative branch

1953–1961 (Dwight D. Eisenhower presidency)

Legislative branch

1961–1963 (John F. Kennedy presidency)

Legislative branch

1963–1969 (Lyndon B. Johnson presidency)

Legislative branch

1969–1974 (Richard M. Nixon presidency)

Executive branch

Legislative branch

1974–1977 (Gerald R. Ford presidency)

Executive branch

Legislative branch

1977–1981 (Jimmy Carter presidency)

Legislative branch

1981–1989 (Ronald Reagan presidency)

Executive branch

See also: Reagan administration scandals.

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

1989–1993 (George H. W. Bush presidency)

Executive branch

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

1993–2001 (Bill Clinton presidency)

Executive branch

Legislative branch

2001–2009 (George W. Bush presidency)

Executive branch

Legislative branch

2009–2017 (Barack Obama presidency)

Executive branch

Legislative branch

Judicial branch

2017–2021 (Donald Trump presidency)

Executive branch

Legislative branch

2021–present (Joe Biden presidency)

Legislative branch

See also

State and local politics

Notes and References

  1. Daniel D. Lee (1991) "Senator Black's Investigation of the Air Mail 1933-34", The Historian 53: 423–42
  2. Long, Kim (2008). The Almanac of Political Corruption, Scandals & Dirty Politics. .
  3. News: Tucker Is Fourth California Congressman to Be Convicted Since 1936 . Los Angeles Times . December 9, 1995 . September 5, 2010 . David . Rosenzweig . https://archive.today/20120709171701/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-12-09/news/mn-12142_1 . July 9, 2012 . live .
  4. News: Reinecke Receives A Suspended Term . New York Times . 1974-10-02.
  5. News: Hubbell Gets 21 Months in Fraud Case : Courts: Former Justice Department official targeted in Whitewater probe is sentenced for overbilling law firm and clients and evading taxes. Los Angeles Times. June 29, 1995.
  6. Web site: Former Rep. Steve Stockman Found Guilty of 23 Felonies. April 12, 2018. The Daily Beast.
  7. News: Rohrabacher defends wife's pay. October 28, 2011. Los Angeles Times. March 23, 2023. November 14, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181114141634/http://www.latimes.com/tn-dpt-1029-rohrabacher-20111028-story.html. live.
  8. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-10-26-me-57826-story.html "Rohrabacher Pays Fines for Not Filing Report"
  9. News: Ex-Trump adviser Flynn admits lying to FBI. BBC News . December 1, 2017.
  10. News: Appeals Court Rejects Justice Department Effort to Shut Down Michael Flynn Case. NPR. August 31, 2020. Neuman. Scott.
  11. News: Judge formally dismisses Michael Flynn case after Trump pardon. CNN. December 8, 2020. Polantz. Katelyn.
  12. Web site: Duncan Hunter pleads guilty after changing plea. December 3, 2019.
  13. News: Rep. Jamaal Bowman pleads guilty to one count of falsely pulling a fire alarm. NBC News. 26 October 2023. Daniel. Barnes. Rebecca. Shabad.
  14. News: cnn.com. May 5, 2023. Madison Cawthorn pleads guilty in case over bringing a loaded handgun through TSA checkpoint. Rebekah Riess.
  15. Web site: del Valle . Lauren . Scannell . Kara . Souza . Sabrina . Brown . Nicki . Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez found guilty in federal corruption trial . CNN . 16 July 2024.
  16. News: npr.org. December 1, 2023. New York Republican George Santos expelled from Congress. Eric McDaniel.
  17. News: apnews.com. August 19, 2024. Former US Rep George Santos pleads guilty to wire fraud and identity theft in his federal case. Philip Marcelo.