5. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski; Corruption, Embezzlement, Mail Fraud, Witness Tampering
Rostenkowski was a fixture in Chicago politics for decades and an influential power broker as Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee in the 80s and early 90s. Then, it all unraveled. The Illinois Democrat was indicted for embezzling $700,000 in federal funds, keeping non-existent employees on his staff payroll, diverting cash to pay for gifts and personal vehicles, and tampering with a Grand Jury witness.
A highly publicized allegation of trading stamps for cash at the House Post Office was dropped when Rostenkowski pled guilty to a lesser charge of Mail Fraud. He was convicted on 13 of the 17 charges filed. He paid huge fines, served 15 months in prison and then spent two months at a Chicago Halfway House. Rostenkowski was pardoned in 2000 by outgoing President Bill Clinton.
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