A Massachusetts lawmaker has landed himself in hot water by allegedly using his campaign funds to gamble with. Rep. David Nangle was arrested and charged in a federal court.
Addict
59-year-old Nangle is a two decade veteran of the state legislature and even held the position of House Ethics Committee Chairman. Now it looks as if this life will be well behind him.
He was indicted on 10 charges of wire fraud, four counts of bank fraud, five counts of filing false tax returns, and nine counts of falsifying statements to a bank. All serious charges that could see him spend the next 30 years behind bars.
The court statement during the indictment said:
“Despite his salary and perks, Nangle was heavily in debt, had poor credit and had regular cash flow problems as a result of extensive gambling at various casinos in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, among others – placing thousands of bets on internet gambling sites.”
It wasn’t just gambling that led to this perilous situation either. Nangle allegedly used campaign funds to pay for a lavish lifestyle that included dues for an exclusive golf club, fancy restaurants, and various travel expenses.
Even with a $100,000 per year salary, Nangle was allegedly forced to file false tax returns between 2014-2018 to cover up his misdeeds. Loans totaling more than $100,000 from friends and business owners were paid back using campaign funds and he allegedly even bribed a contractor to renovate his home by promising lucrative state contracts for construction projects.