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• Sadly, multiple members of Congress have been convicted for various crimes. 
• Many congressional convictions relate to fraud, bribery, and related finance scandals. 
• Members of the House tend to get into more legal trouble than that of the Senate. 
• Also: Discover “The Next NVIDIA” 

As much as we love holding politicians in the United States to a higher standard, this isn’t our reality. The opposite is true, as a handful of congressional members have embodied the adage, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” 

There’s no other way to say it than to say it’s disappointing for a government body already suffering from low public opinion to have such criminals in its midst. It’s not uncommon to ask any American on the street and hear a response that someone believes most members of Congress are “a bunch of crooks.” 

While it may not be 100% accurate, it’s not inaccurate in that many congressional members have been involved in criminal activity, including but not limited to financial and ethical bad behavior. 

22. Duke Cunningham 

Duke Cunningham, a Vietnam War veteran and fighter ace, was a member of the US House from California’s 50th district from 1991 to 2005. After being elected to office in 1991, Cunningham resigned in 2005 after pleading guilty to accepting at least $2.4 million in bribes and failing to disclose his taxable income for 2004 adequately. He was fined around $1.8 million and sentenced to eight years in prison. 

21. Carroll Hubbard

American politician Carroll Hubbard was elected to the US House in January 1975. He served in office until January 1993, when he participated in the House banking scandal and spent two years in prison. Ultimately, Hubbard funneled money from his campaign to his wife, who was attempting to take over his office, which violated campaign finance laws. 

20. Charles Diggs

The first African American elected to Congress from Michigan, Charles Diggs, served the state’s 13th district. Diggs famously participated in the Civil Rights movement and was elected the first chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and publicly criticized the apartheid regime in South Africa. However, Diggs would be forced to resign from the House after he received a three-year prison sentence for mail fraud. 

19. James F. Hastings

James F. Hastings, a World War II veteran who served the Republican party out of New York, was elected to office in January 1969. He would serve until he was indicted for taking kickbacks from three employees while serving as a legislator. Hastings was accused of using the money to purchase snowmobiles and boats and pay off his children’s college tuition. His conviction led to a sentence of 14 months in prison. 

18. Nicholas Mavroules

A member of the Democratic party from Massachusetts, Nicholas Mavroules served in the US House from 1979 until 1993. In 1993, he pled guilty to 15 separate counts of racketeering and extortion and would serve 15 months in prison. During his trial, allegations included bribery, accepting illegal gifts, and failing to report them on congressional disclosure and income tax forms. 

17. Dana Rohrabacher

Dubbed “Putin’s favorite congressman,” Dana Rohrabacher was a member of the US House from 1989 to 2019. Representing California’s 48th congressional district, Rohrabacher had previously expressed strong pro-Russian and pro-Putin opinions. After being charged for the improper use of campaign contributions to fake a Democratic candidate in a state assembly election, Rohrabacher was found guilty and fined over $50,000.  

16. Rick Renzi

A Republican member of the House representing Arizona’s 1st congressional district, Rick Renzi, was convicted of federal crimes related to his involvement in a land swap deal. Renzi was accused of profiting from the deal to the tune of $700,000, which led the FBI to raid his family business. As a result, he indicated he would step away from office. Renzi was convicted of 17 of 32 counts of his corruption case and sentenced to 3 years in prison. 

15. Wes Cooley

Wes Cooley served as a member of the House from Oregon’s 2nd district between 1995 and 1997 and was a member of the 104th Congress. For reasons unknown, Cooley, a self-described proponent of the military, was indicted for lying about his military service in a 1994 voter pamphlet. Cooley accepted a plea agreement, was sentenced to probation, community service, and fined. 

14. Mario Biaggi

Formerly a member of the New York Police Department, Mario Biaggi was a popular member of Congress. However, in 1987 and 1988, he was convicted in two trials of accepting unlawful gratuities, of which he was convicted and sentenced to 2.5 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Biaggi maintained his innocence but resigned his seat rather than allow himself to be expelled from office. 

13. Frank J. Brasco

Serving as a democratic member of Congress from 1967 to 1975, Frank J. Brasco was indicted in 1973 along with his uncle, Joseph Brasco, on both federal bribery and conspiracy charges. The focal point of the investigation was payoffs Brasco received from a Mafia-owned Bronx trucking company. While the first trial led to a hung jury, he was eventually sentenced to five years in prison and disbarred as a lawyer. 

12. Bob Ney

The former Ohio representative from the 18th district, Bob Ney, pled guilty to conspiracy charges and making false statements related to the Jack Abramoff Indian Lobbying scandal. After resigning from the House, Ney was sentenced to 30 months in prison and 200 hours of community service, which he served for 17 months before being released on probation. 

11. Corrine Brown

Corrine Brown, a member of the Democratic Party, was a member of the US House from 1993 to 2017 in Florida’s 17th district. In December 2017, she was sentenced to five years for corruption and tax fraud and ordered to pay restitution for fraud. While an appeals court overturned her conviction, she pled guilty before a second trial to avoid conviction and was sentenced to time served of two years and eight months. 

10. George Santos

From the day he took office, George Santos was a controversial member of Congress, representing the New York 3rd district. Following an investigation from the House Ethics Committee, Santos was served with a federal indictment and was expelled from Congress. He pled guilty to both identity theft and wire fraud. 

9. Madison Cawthorn

A rising member of the Republican party, Madison Cawthorn’s quick rise ultimately led to his quick fall. During his time as a member of North Carolina’s 11th district representative, he was accused of insider trading, bringing a handgun to an airport, and appearing in a leaked nude video. Cawthorn pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon and was fined $250. 

8. Trey Radel

An American radio personality and former Republic congressman out of the 19th district in Florida, Radel was arrested in Washington, D.C., for attempting to buy 3.5 grams of cocaine. Radel was sentenced to one year of supervised probation, which forced him to resign from his office after the Republican Party of Florida indicated they would not support a re-election campaign. 

7. Mel Reynolds

A popular member of the democratic party, Melvin Reynolds was an American politician serving out of Illinois. In 1994, Reynolds was indicted for sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse for engaging in a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old campaign volunteer in 1992. Charges of child pornography also surfaced, which led to 12 counts of criminal sexual assault solicitation of child pornography, among other charges, and sentenced to five years in federal prison. 

6. Albert Bustamante

One-time Democratic congressman Albert Bustamante served the 23rd district before being investigated in 1992 for fraud and racketeering. Fast-forward to 1993, Bustamonte was convicted of accepting bribes and sentenced to 42 months in prison. 

5. Bill Janklow

Serving in the US House after being the Governor of South Dakota, Bill Janklow only served for a little over a year. Sadly, Janklow was forced to resign after being convicted of manslaughter for his role in a fatal automobile accident. Officials accused Janklow of speeding and running a stop sign and would serve 100 days in jail. 

4. Jesse Jackson Jr. 

The son of prominent American political figure Jesse Jackson, his son, Jesse Jackson Jr., was a US rep from the 2nd congressional district in Illinois. In October 2012, Jackson was investigated for financial improprieties, which forced him to resign from office, and later served 30 months in federal prison. 

3. James Traficant

A democratic member of the House from Ohio’s 17th district, Traficant, was kicked out of office on July 24, 2022, after being convicted of 10 felony counts and serving a 7-year prison sentence. Out of his crimes, Traficant was convicted of filing false tax returns, racketeering, taking bribes, and even forcing his staff to work on his farm in Ohio. 

2. Dennis Hastert 

Dennis Hastert, the 51st Speaker of the House, was a Republican out of Illinois’s 14th congressional district. Serving in Congress from 1987 to 2007, Hastert was sentenced to prison in 2016 for 15 months after he was convicted for financial offenses related to the sexual abuse of teenage boys. Hastert remains the highest-ranking elected official in the United States to serve a prison sentence. 

1. Anthony Weiner

Among the most notable convictions of congressman, Anthony Weiner is one of the best-known names. He came under fire for sending sexually explicit photos of himself to underage girls. A New York Democrat from the 9th district, Weiner served 18 out of 21 months of his sentence in prison. 

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