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|birth_date = November 14, 1956
|birth_date = November 14, 1956
|birth_place = Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
|birth_place = Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
|charges = Fraud, Money laundering, Conspiracy (23 felony counts)
|charges = Mail fraud, Wire fraud, Money laundering, Conspiracy, Election-law violations, False tax return (23 felony counts)
|sentence = 10 years (commuted after 2 years)
|conviction_date = April 12, 2018
|sentence = 10 years (commuted December 2020)
|sentencing_date = November 7, 2018
|restitution = $1,014,718.51
|judge = Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal
|case_number = 4:17-cr-00116 (S.D. Tex.)
|facility = FCI Beaumont Low
|facility = FCI Beaumont Low
|status = Commuted
|status = Released (commuted)
|conviction_date = April 2018
|release_date = December 22, 2020
|release_date = December 22, 2020 (commuted)
}}
}}
'''Stephen Ernest Stockman''' (born November 14, 1956) is a former American politician and convicted felon who served two non-consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Texas. Known as a conservative firebrand, Stockman served from 1995 to 1997 and again from 2013 to 2015. In 2018, he was convicted on 23 felony counts related to fraud, [[Money Laundering|money laundering]], and conspiracy for misusing approximately $1.25 million in charitable donations meant for conservative causes. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison but served only about two years before President Donald Trump commuted his sentence on December 22, 2020. Unlike a pardon, the commutation left Stockman's conviction intact, and he remained obligated to pay over $1 million in restitution.<ref name="houston-chron">Houston Chronicle, "Trump commutes sentence for Steve Stockman, former Texas congressman convicted of charity scheme," December 2020, https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Trump-pardons-Steve-Stockman-former-Texas-15823273.php</ref>


== Summary ==
'''Stephen Ernest Stockman''' (born November 14, 1956) is a former American politician who served two non-consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas. He held the seat for Texas's 9th district from 1995 to 1997 and the seat for the 36th district from 2013 to 2015. After he left Congress, federal prosecutors charged him with running a scheme that diverted about $1.25 million in donor money to personal and political use. A jury in Houston convicted him on April 12, 2018, on 23 of 24 felony counts. The charges included mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, federal election-law violations, and filing a false tax return.<ref name="doj-convict">{{cite web |title=Former U.S. Congressman Convicted of Mail and Wire Fraud, Campaign Finance Violations, Money Laundering and Filing a False Tax Return |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/former-us-congressman-convicted-mail-and-wire-fraud-campaign-finance-violations-money |publisher=U.S. Department of Justice |date=2018-04-12 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


Steve Stockman first rose to national prominence in 1994 when he defeated 42-year incumbent Jack Brooks as part of the Republican Revolution that swept Democrats from power in Congress. His first stint in Congress was marked by controversial statements and associations, including his promotion of conspiracy theories about the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. He chose not to seek reelection in 1996 and lost a Senate primary bid.
Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Stockman on November 7, 2018, to 10 years in federal prison. The court ordered him to pay $1,014,718.51 in restitution. The term was among the longest given to a former member of Congress.<ref name="texastribune">{{cite news |last=Svitek |first=Patrick |title=Trump commutes remaining prison term of former Texas GOP congressman Steve Stockman, who was convicted of misusing charitable funds |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/22/donald-trump-commute-prison-steve-stockman-texas-congressman/ |work=The Texas Tribune |date=2020-12-22 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref> He was held at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, Texas. On December 22, 2020, President Donald Trump commuted the remaining portion of the sentence and Stockman was released after roughly two years in custody. The action was a commutation, not a pardon. His conviction stayed in place, and the restitution and supervised-release terms remained.<ref name="texastribune" /><ref name="houstonpublic">{{cite news |title=Trump Commutes Remaining Prison Term Of Former Texas GOP Congressman Steve Stockman |url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/texas/2020/12/23/388451/trump-commutes-remaining-prison-term-of-former-texas-gop-congressman-steve-stockman-who-was-convicted-of-misusing-charitable-funds/ |work=Houston Public Media |date=2020-12-23 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>
 
After years out of office, Stockman returned to Congress in 2013, representing a different Texas district. He immediately positioned himself as one of the most conservative members of Congress and challenged Senator John Cornyn in the 2014 Republican primary, losing decisively.
 
Following his departure from Congress, federal investigators began examining Stockman's finances. They discovered that he had defrauded donors to conservative organizations, diverting approximately $1.25 million intended for charitable purposes to fund personal expenses and political activities. His conviction on 23 felony counts resulted in the longest prison sentence for a former member of Congress in decades.
 
== Background ==
 
=== Early Life ===
 
Stephen Ernest Stockman was born on November 14, 1956, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. His early years were troubled, and he struggled with homelessness and various jobs before settling in Texas.
 
=== Pre-Political Career ===
 
Before entering politics, Stockman worked as an accountant and was involved in various conservative political causes in the Houston area. He became active in Republican politics in the late 1980s and early 1990s.


== Political Career ==
== Political Career ==


=== First Term in Congress (1995-1997) ===
Stockman was born November 14, 1956, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He settled in the Houston area and entered Republican politics there in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
 
In 1994, Stockman ran against longtime Democratic incumbent Jack Brooks in Texas's 9th Congressional District. Brooks had served in Congress for 42 years and was chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Riding the wave of the Republican Revolution led by Newt Gingrich, Stockman pulled off a stunning upset victory.


During his first term, Stockman established himself as one of the most conservative members of Congress. He was known for controversial statements, including suggesting that the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing might have been a government conspiracy. He also distributed a document promoting the conspiracy theory that federal agents had deliberately set the fire during the 1993 Waco siege.
In 1994 he ran in Texas's 9th Congressional District against Jack Brooks, a Democrat who had held the seat for 42 years and chaired the House Judiciary Committee. Stockman won. The result was one of the upsets of the Republican wave that gave the party control of the House that year.<ref name="texastribune" /> He took office in January 1995.


Rather than seek reelection in 1996, Stockman ran for the U.S. Senate but lost in the Republican primary.
His first term placed him on the far edge of his caucus. He drew attention for statements about the 1993 Waco siege and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. He did not seek reelection to the House in 1996. He ran for the U.S. Senate instead and lost in the Republican primary. That ended his first stint in office after a single term.


=== Return to Congress (2013-2015) ===
Stockman returned to the House in January 2013. He won the seat in the newly drawn 36th Congressional District in southeast Texas. In 2014 he gave up the seat to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary. He filed late and ran a thin campaign. He lost the primary by a wide margin and took about 19 percent of the vote. He left Congress in January 2015.<ref name="texastribune" /> His financial dealings during these years became the basis of the federal case against him.


After years out of elected office, Stockman returned to Congress in January 2013 after winning election in Texas's newly redrawn 36th Congressional District. He quickly resumed his role as a conservative provocateur.
== Fraud Scheme ==


In 2014, Stockman challenged incumbent Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary. Cornyn was seen by some conservatives as insufficiently conservative, but Stockman ran an erratic campaign and lost overwhelmingly, receiving only about 19% of the vote.
The government's case centered on money that donors gave for charitable and educational purposes. Prosecutors said Stockman solicited the funds under one set of representations and then spent them on himself and on his political campaigns. The total at issue was about $1.25 million.<ref name="doj-convict" /><ref name="rollcall">{{cite news |last=Lesniewski |first=Niels |title=Former Rep. Steve Stockman Found Guilty of 23 Fraud Charges |url=https://rollcall.com/2018/04/12/former-rep-steve-stockman-found-guilty-of-23-fraud-charges/ |work=Roll Call |date=2018-04-12 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


== Criminal Investigation and Conviction ==
One donor was Stanford Z. Rothschild Jr., an elderly philanthropist who gave through a foundation. Over a period of months in 2013, Stockman and his aides solicited Rothschild and obtained $285,000. The money was directed to the Ross Center, a nonprofit Stockman controlled. Donor funds that were described as charitable were instead routed through accounts the defendants used for other purposes.<ref name="findlaw">{{cite web |title=United States v. Stockman, No. 19-20198 (5th Cir. 2020) |url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-5th-circuit/2041538.html |publisher=FindLaw |date=2020 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


=== The Fraud Scheme ===
A second donor was the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, which gave $350,000 in 2013. Stockman represented that the money would fund a "Freedom House," a Washington residence meant to house young conservative interns and professionals. The project was tied to a nonprofit, the Congressional Freedom Foundation, that prosecutors said did not exist as represented. The house never materialized. The funds went elsewhere.<ref name="findlaw" /><ref name="doj-convict" />


Federal prosecutors alleged that Stockman misused approximately $1.25 million in funds from conservative donors. The money was supposed to support organizations like the Life Without Limits Foundation and other conservative causes, but Stockman diverted it to personal expenses and political activities.
Evidence at trial showed the money paid for items unrelated to any charity. Reported expenditures included a hot air balloon ride, kennel charges, a dishwasher, personal credit-card debt, and a friend's stay in a rehabilitation facility. Some of the money funded an effort to place an undercover operative in the office of a political opponent to gather information. Other funds were moved into Stockman's campaign accounts in amounts that exceeded federal contribution limits, which formed the basis of the election-law counts.<ref name="texastribune" /><ref name="rollcall" />


The misused funds paid for personal items including:
Two associates worked with Stockman and pleaded guilty before trial. Thomas Dodd, a former congressional aide, pleaded guilty in March 2017. Jason Posey, a longtime staffer, pleaded guilty and was later sentenced to 18 months. Both testified for the government. Their accounts described how donor money was solicited and then moved through nonprofit and personal accounts.<ref name="findlaw" /><ref name="courthousenews">{{cite news |title=Ex-Congressman's Aide Testifies to Blatant Corruption |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/ex-congressmans-aide-testifies-to-blatant-corruption/ |work=Courthouse News Service |date=2018 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>
* Hot air balloon rides
* Kennel bills
* A new dishwasher
* Other personal expenses


Prosecutors also alleged that Stockman used some of the money to plant an undercover intern in the state House office of a political rival to gather intelligence.<ref name="texas-tribune">Texas Tribune, "Trump commutes remaining prison term of former Texas GOP congressman Steve Stockman, who was convicted of misusing charitable funds," December 2020, https://www.texastribune.org/2020/12/22/donald-trump-commute-prison-steve-stockman-texas-congressman/</ref>
== Trial and Sentencing ==


=== Indictment and Trial ===
A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas indicted Stockman in 2017. The case went to trial in Houston in 2018. Prosecutors presented documents and testimony, including testimony from Dodd and Posey, to show how the donor funds were solicited and spent.<ref name="courthousenews" />


Stockman was indicted on federal charges in 2017. At trial in 2018, prosecutors presented evidence that Stockman had created a complex scheme to divert charitable donations through shell organizations and personal accounts.
On April 12, 2018, the jury returned its verdict. It convicted Stockman on 23 of the 24 counts he faced. The counts spanned mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, federal election-law violations, and one count of filing a false tax return.<ref name="doj-convict" /><ref name="rollcall" />


=== Conviction ===
Sentencing followed on November 7, 2018. Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal imposed a term of 10 years in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The court ordered Stockman to pay $1,014,718.51 in restitution to the defrauded donors. The sentence ranked among the longest handed to a former member of Congress in recent decades.<ref name="texastribune" /><ref name="houstonpublic" />


In April 2018, a federal jury in Houston convicted Stockman on 23 felony counts, including fraud, money laundering, and making false statements.<ref name="houston-chron" />
Stockman was designated to the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, Texas, known as FCI Beaumont Low. He was 61 at the start of his term.


=== Sentencing ===
== Commutation ==


Stockman was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison—one of the longest sentences ever given to a former member of Congress. He was also ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution to the defrauded donors.
While at Beaumont, Stockman contracted COVID-19. He was in his sixties and had documented health conditions. His supporters argued that those conditions raised his risk during the pandemic and asked the White House for clemency.<ref name="houstonchron-covid">{{cite news |title=Convicted ex-U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman asks Donald Trump for COVID-19 pardon |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/convicted-congress-steve-stockman-trump-pardon-15192258.php |work=Houston Chronicle |date=2020-04 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


He served his sentence at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, Texas.
On December 22, 2020, President Trump commuted the remaining portion of Stockman's prison term. The grant was a commutation rather than a full pardon. The distinction mattered. A commutation shortens or ends a prison term but leaves the underlying conviction in place.<ref name="texastribune" /><ref name="cbstexas">{{cite news |title=President Trump Commutes Prison Term For Former Texas Congressman Steve Stockman Who Misused Charitable Donations |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/president-trump-commutes-prison-term-texas-congressman-steve-stockman-misused-charitable-donations/ |work=CBS Texas |date=2020-12-23 |access-date=2026-06-03}}</ref>


== Clemency ==
The White House statement on the action made the point in plain terms. It said the matter was not a pardon, that the prosecution had been appropriate, and that Stockman remained a convicted felon held responsible by a jury.<ref name="texastribune" /> Under the terms of the commutation, Stockman stayed a convicted felon, remained on supervised release, and continued to owe the court-ordered restitution of more than $1 million.<ref name="houstonpublic" />


=== COVID-19 Concerns ===
The Stockman commutation was announced the same day as a set of other clemency grants. Among them were full pardons for two other former Republican members of Congress, Chris Collins of New York and Duncan Hunter of California, each of whom had been convicted of federal crimes.<ref name="texastribune" /> Stockman had served about two years of his 10-year term when he was released.
 
While imprisoned, Stockman contracted COVID-19. His supporters argued that his underlying health conditions made continued incarceration dangerous during the pandemic. Stockman was 64 years old and had health issues that placed him at heightened risk from the virus.<ref name="houston-chron-covid">Houston Chronicle, "Convicted ex-U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman asks Donald Trump for COVID-19 pardon," April 2020, https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/convicted-congress-steve-stockman-trump-pardon-15192258.php</ref>
 
=== Commutation (Not Pardon) ===
 
On December 22, 2020, President Trump commuted Steve Stockman's remaining prison sentence. Importantly, Trump granted a commutation rather than a full pardon.
 
The White House statement noted: "This is not a pardon. The president recognizes that our prosecution was appropriate and Steve Stockman remains a convicted felon, who was held responsible for his numerous fraud and theft charges by a jury of his peers."<ref name="texas-tribune" />
 
The commutation released Stockman from prison after approximately two years of incarceration, with the following conditions:
* He remained a convicted felon
* He was placed on supervised release
* He was still required to pay more than $1 million in restitution
 
The commutation was announced alongside pardons for two other former Republican congressmen convicted of crimes: Chris Collins of New York and Duncan Hunter of California.


== Frequently Asked Questions ==
== Frequently Asked Questions ==
Line 98: Line 66:


{{FAQ
{{FAQ
|question = What did Steve Stockman do?
|question = What was Steve Stockman convicted of?
|answer = Steve Stockman was convicted of 23 felony counts including fraud, [[Money Laundering|money laundering]], and conspiracy. He misused approximately $1.25 million in charitable donations intended for conservative causes, using the money instead for personal expenses like hot air balloon rides, kennel bills, and a dishwasher. He also used funds to plant an undercover intern in a political rival's office.<ref name="texas-tribune" />
|answer = A federal jury in Houston convicted Stockman on April 12, 2018, on 23 of 24 felony counts. The counts covered mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, federal election-law violations, and one count of filing a false tax return. The case involved about $1.25 million in donor money that prosecutors said he diverted to personal and political use.<ref name="doj-convict" />
}}
 
{{FAQ
|question = How long was Steve Stockman's sentence?
|answer = Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Stockman on November 7, 2018, to 10 years in federal prison. The court also ordered him to pay $1,014,718.51 in restitution. The term was among the longest given to a former member of Congress.<ref name="texastribune" />
}}
}}


{{FAQ
{{FAQ
|question = Was Steve Stockman pardoned?
|question = Was Steve Stockman pardoned?
|answer = Stockman received a commutation, not a full pardon. On December 22, 2020, President Trump commuted his remaining sentence, releasing him from prison after about two years of a 10-year sentence. The commutation left his conviction intact—he remains a convicted felon and was still required to pay over $1 million in restitution and complete supervised release.<ref name="houston-chron" />
|answer = No. On December 22, 2020, President Trump commuted his remaining prison term. A commutation ends or shortens a prison term but leaves the conviction in place. Stockman remained a convicted felon, stayed on supervised release, and still owed the court-ordered restitution.<ref name="texastribune" /><ref name="cbstexas" />
}}
}}


{{FAQ
{{FAQ
|question = How long was Steve Stockman's prison sentence?
|question = Where was Steve Stockman incarcerated?
|answer = Stockman was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in 2018 and ordered to pay $1 million in restitution. He served his sentence at FCI Beaumont Low in Texas. After approximately two years, his sentence was commuted by President Trump on December 22, 2020, and he was released from custody.<ref name="houston-chron" />
|answer = Stockman served his term at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, Texas, known as FCI Beaumont Low. He was released on December 22, 2020, after serving roughly two years of the 10-year sentence.<ref name="houstonpublic" />
}}
}}


{{FAQ
{{FAQ
|question = What was Steve Stockman's political career?
|question = What did Steve Stockman spend the donor money on?
|answer = Stockman served two non-consecutive terms in Congress. He first represented Texas's 9th District from 1995 to 1997 after defeating 42-year incumbent Jack Brooks. He returned to Congress representing the 36th District from 2013 to 2015. He challenged Senator John Cornyn in the 2014 Republican primary but lost badly.<ref name="texas-tribune" />
|answer = Trial evidence showed donor funds paid for items unrelated to charity, including a hot air balloon ride, kennel charges, a dishwasher, personal credit-card debt, and a friend's rehabilitation stay. Some money funded an effort to place an operative in a political opponent's office, and some was moved into Stockman's campaign accounts in excess of federal limits.<ref name="texastribune" /><ref name="rollcall" />
}}
}}


{{FAQ
{{FAQ
|question = Did Steve Stockman have health issues in prison?
|question = Who were the donors in the Steve Stockman case?
|answer = Yes. Stockman had underlying health conditions that placed him at heightened risk during COVID-19. He contracted the coronavirus while imprisoned at the Beaumont facility. These health concerns were cited as factors supporting his clemency request. He was 64 years old at the time of his commutation.<ref name="houston-chron-covid" />
|answer = Two donors featured in the case. Stanford Z. Rothschild Jr., an elderly philanthropist, gave $285,000 that was routed to the Ross Center. The Ed Uihlein Family Foundation gave $350,000 for a "Freedom House" project that was never built. The total at issue across the scheme was about $1.25 million.<ref name="findlaw" /><ref name="doj-convict" />
}}
}}


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* [[Money Laundering]]
* [[Money Laundering]]
* [[Wire fraud]]
* [[Presidential Clemency and Pardons]]
* [[Presidential Clemency and Pardons]]
* [[Chris Collins]]
* [[Chris Collins]]
Line 136: Line 110:


[[Category:High-Profile_Federal_Offenders]]
[[Category:High-Profile_Federal_Offenders]]
[[Category:Commuted]]
[[Category:Wire_Fraud]]
[[Category:Fraud_Cases]]
[[Category:Money_Laundering]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Released]]


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Revision as of 13:35, 3 June 2026

Stephen Ernest Stockman
Born: November 14, 1956
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Charges: Mail fraud, Wire fraud, Money laundering, Conspiracy, Election-law violations, False tax return (23 felony counts)
Sentence: 10 years (commuted December 2020)
Facility: FCI Beaumont Low
Status: Released (commuted)


Stephen Ernest Stockman (born November 14, 1956) is a former American politician who served two non-consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas. He held the seat for Texas's 9th district from 1995 to 1997 and the seat for the 36th district from 2013 to 2015. After he left Congress, federal prosecutors charged him with running a scheme that diverted about $1.25 million in donor money to personal and political use. A jury in Houston convicted him on April 12, 2018, on 23 of 24 felony counts. The charges included mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, federal election-law violations, and filing a false tax return.[1]

Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Stockman on November 7, 2018, to 10 years in federal prison. The court ordered him to pay $1,014,718.51 in restitution. The term was among the longest given to a former member of Congress.[2] He was held at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, Texas. On December 22, 2020, President Donald Trump commuted the remaining portion of the sentence and Stockman was released after roughly two years in custody. The action was a commutation, not a pardon. His conviction stayed in place, and the restitution and supervised-release terms remained.[2][3]

Political Career

Stockman was born November 14, 1956, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He settled in the Houston area and entered Republican politics there in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1994 he ran in Texas's 9th Congressional District against Jack Brooks, a Democrat who had held the seat for 42 years and chaired the House Judiciary Committee. Stockman won. The result was one of the upsets of the Republican wave that gave the party control of the House that year.[2] He took office in January 1995.

His first term placed him on the far edge of his caucus. He drew attention for statements about the 1993 Waco siege and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. He did not seek reelection to the House in 1996. He ran for the U.S. Senate instead and lost in the Republican primary. That ended his first stint in office after a single term.

Stockman returned to the House in January 2013. He won the seat in the newly drawn 36th Congressional District in southeast Texas. In 2014 he gave up the seat to challenge incumbent U.S. Senator John Cornyn in the Republican primary. He filed late and ran a thin campaign. He lost the primary by a wide margin and took about 19 percent of the vote. He left Congress in January 2015.[2] His financial dealings during these years became the basis of the federal case against him.

Fraud Scheme

The government's case centered on money that donors gave for charitable and educational purposes. Prosecutors said Stockman solicited the funds under one set of representations and then spent them on himself and on his political campaigns. The total at issue was about $1.25 million.[1][4]

One donor was Stanford Z. Rothschild Jr., an elderly philanthropist who gave through a foundation. Over a period of months in 2013, Stockman and his aides solicited Rothschild and obtained $285,000. The money was directed to the Ross Center, a nonprofit Stockman controlled. Donor funds that were described as charitable were instead routed through accounts the defendants used for other purposes.[5]

A second donor was the Ed Uihlein Family Foundation, which gave $350,000 in 2013. Stockman represented that the money would fund a "Freedom House," a Washington residence meant to house young conservative interns and professionals. The project was tied to a nonprofit, the Congressional Freedom Foundation, that prosecutors said did not exist as represented. The house never materialized. The funds went elsewhere.[5][1]

Evidence at trial showed the money paid for items unrelated to any charity. Reported expenditures included a hot air balloon ride, kennel charges, a dishwasher, personal credit-card debt, and a friend's stay in a rehabilitation facility. Some of the money funded an effort to place an undercover operative in the office of a political opponent to gather information. Other funds were moved into Stockman's campaign accounts in amounts that exceeded federal contribution limits, which formed the basis of the election-law counts.[2][4]

Two associates worked with Stockman and pleaded guilty before trial. Thomas Dodd, a former congressional aide, pleaded guilty in March 2017. Jason Posey, a longtime staffer, pleaded guilty and was later sentenced to 18 months. Both testified for the government. Their accounts described how donor money was solicited and then moved through nonprofit and personal accounts.[5][6]

Trial and Sentencing

A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas indicted Stockman in 2017. The case went to trial in Houston in 2018. Prosecutors presented documents and testimony, including testimony from Dodd and Posey, to show how the donor funds were solicited and spent.[6]

On April 12, 2018, the jury returned its verdict. It convicted Stockman on 23 of the 24 counts he faced. The counts spanned mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, federal election-law violations, and one count of filing a false tax return.[1][4]

Sentencing followed on November 7, 2018. Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal imposed a term of 10 years in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The court ordered Stockman to pay $1,014,718.51 in restitution to the defrauded donors. The sentence ranked among the longest handed to a former member of Congress in recent decades.[2][3]

Stockman was designated to the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, Texas, known as FCI Beaumont Low. He was 61 at the start of his term.

Commutation

While at Beaumont, Stockman contracted COVID-19. He was in his sixties and had documented health conditions. His supporters argued that those conditions raised his risk during the pandemic and asked the White House for clemency.[7]

On December 22, 2020, President Trump commuted the remaining portion of Stockman's prison term. The grant was a commutation rather than a full pardon. The distinction mattered. A commutation shortens or ends a prison term but leaves the underlying conviction in place.[2][8]

The White House statement on the action made the point in plain terms. It said the matter was not a pardon, that the prosecution had been appropriate, and that Stockman remained a convicted felon held responsible by a jury.[2] Under the terms of the commutation, Stockman stayed a convicted felon, remained on supervised release, and continued to owe the court-ordered restitution of more than $1 million.[3]

The Stockman commutation was announced the same day as a set of other clemency grants. Among them were full pardons for two other former Republican members of Congress, Chris Collins of New York and Duncan Hunter of California, each of whom had been convicted of federal crimes.[2] Stockman had served about two years of his 10-year term when he was released.

Frequently Asked Questions


Q: What was Steve Stockman convicted of?

A federal jury in Houston convicted Stockman on April 12, 2018, on 23 of 24 felony counts. The counts covered mail fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, federal election-law violations, and one count of filing a false tax return. The case involved about $1.25 million in donor money that prosecutors said he diverted to personal and political use.[1]



Q: How long was Steve Stockman's sentence?

Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced Stockman on November 7, 2018, to 10 years in federal prison. The court also ordered him to pay $1,014,718.51 in restitution. The term was among the longest given to a former member of Congress.[2]



Q: Was Steve Stockman pardoned?

No. On December 22, 2020, President Trump commuted his remaining prison term. A commutation ends or shortens a prison term but leaves the conviction in place. Stockman remained a convicted felon, stayed on supervised release, and still owed the court-ordered restitution.[2][8]



Q: Where was Steve Stockman incarcerated?

Stockman served his term at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution in Beaumont, Texas, known as FCI Beaumont Low. He was released on December 22, 2020, after serving roughly two years of the 10-year sentence.[3]



Q: What did Steve Stockman spend the donor money on?

Trial evidence showed donor funds paid for items unrelated to charity, including a hot air balloon ride, kennel charges, a dishwasher, personal credit-card debt, and a friend's rehabilitation stay. Some money funded an effort to place an operative in a political opponent's office, and some was moved into Stockman's campaign accounts in excess of federal limits.[2][4]



Q: Who were the donors in the Steve Stockman case?

Two donors featured in the case. Stanford Z. Rothschild Jr., an elderly philanthropist, gave $285,000 that was routed to the Ross Center. The Ed Uihlein Family Foundation gave $350,000 for a "Freedom House" project that was never built. The total at issue across the scheme was about $1.25 million.[5][1]


See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Former U.S. Congressman Convicted of Mail and Wire Fraud, Campaign Finance Violations, Money Laundering and Filing a False Tax Return". U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 "Trump commutes remaining prison term of former Texas GOP congressman Steve Stockman, who was convicted of misusing charitable funds".Svitek, Patrick.The Texas Tribune.2020-12-22.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Trump Commutes Remaining Prison Term Of Former Texas GOP Congressman Steve Stockman".Houston Public Media.2020-12-23.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Former Rep. Steve Stockman Found Guilty of 23 Fraud Charges".Lesniewski, Niels.Roll Call.2018-04-12.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "United States v. Stockman, No. 19-20198 (5th Cir. 2020)". FindLaw. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Ex-Congressman's Aide Testifies to Blatant Corruption".Courthouse News Service.2018.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  7. ↑ "Convicted ex-U.S. Congressman Steve Stockman asks Donald Trump for COVID-19 pardon".Houston Chronicle.2020-04.Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "President Trump Commutes Prison Term For Former Texas Congressman Steve Stockman Who Misused Charitable Donations".CBS Texas.2020-12-23.Retrieved 2026-06-03.


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