A twelve-page indictment was filed by the Assistant U.S. Attorney in Urbana against
- State Rep. Carol Ammonds (D) and her husband
- Urbana County Clerk Aaron Ammonds (D)
She is charged with using her campaign money and money from a $605,431 appropriation to funnel money to her duaghter.
Ammonds’ daughter received $3,326 from the grantee, an organization called “Project Hood,” which some unnamed state agency told Amonds was an “impermissible conflict of interest.”
The filing continues accusing Ammonds of using not only state grant money, but her Political Action Committee funds “for her personal benefit.”
This included “cash kickacks” from people hired by the campaign who were paid more than their services deserved.
Her daughter received $15,585 ($600 per month) from her campaign fund “not in proportion to the services actually provided.”
Ammonds also did not report her campaign expenditures to the State Board of Elections.
One grantee that received $612,000 s a result of an Ammonds grant provided patronage jobs from which she received kickbacks called “gifts.”
Her daughter got $60,000 as Program Director for the grantee, although she “knew full well it was a conflict of interest.”
In addition, she got a $700,000 “member initiative” for the organization where she was previously employed.
At the same time her daughter was working for the Secretary of State.
Tne benefits for Ammonds and her dajughter are estmated to be over $100,000.
There are numerous wire fraud charges, one of which includes the text, “Hey you dropping off my gift today?”
In addition there is a “:false statement” count for not telling the FBI the truth.
The tenth charge is for “conspiracy to obstruct justice.”
It is against both wife and husband.
To put in more understandable terms, it charges interfering with witnesses.
Words used in the filing include “muddy the waters” with the FBI.
Greory Gilmore is the Assistant U.S. Attorney on the case.
House Speaker Chris Welch removed her from all committees, excluded her from the Democratic Party Caucus and withdrew all support from the Speaker’s Office.
