As federal prosecutors were prepping to rest their case Thursday in the corruption trial of former Republican state Sen. Sam McCann, the defendant made an abrupt announcement: he’s pleading guilty on all counts.
Prosecutors accused McCann of “greed, fraud and arrogance” in illegally using campaign funds for personal expenses, including paying two mortgages, financing multiple vehicles and vacations, fraudulently cutting himself checks for work not performed, and double-dipping on reimbursement for miles driven.
On Thursday, Prosecutors played more than three hours of recordings made by federal agents who met with McCann on separate occasions in 2018.
McCann’s trial had been delayed on numerous occasions, including in November when he fired his legal team, and last week when he was admitted to a St. Louis hospital for an undisclosed health issue.
It was also delayed from Monday’s rescheduled start date to Tuesday after McCann once again agreed to allowing a court-appointed attorney to defend him.
Judge Colleen Lawless has scheduled McCann’s sentencing for June.
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