Staffer to Former Rep. Shays Arrested for Embezzlement
Former Rep. Christopher Shays’ (R-Conn.) longtime aide Michael Sohn was arrested by the FBI on Friday morning after being indicted Wednesday for embezzling funds from Shays’ campaigns for Congress.
According to the indictment filed in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut, Sohn is being charged with four counts of embezzlement, four counts of false statements in connection with the campaign’s filings with the Federal Election Commission and four counts of tax-related offenses. The indictment alleges that Sohn embezzled more than $250,000 in funds from Shays’ 2006 and 2008 campaigns.
Stanley Twardy, the attorney for Shays’ campaign committee, said the former Congressman was out of the country on business and unavailable for comment.
“However the campaign committee is pleased to see this process moving forward in the courts,— Twardy said.
Shays served in the House for 11 terms before losing to Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) in 2008. Sohn worked for Shays as his campaign manager from 2003 until after the 2008 election, and he also was a member of the Congressman’s House staff from 2003 until May 2008.
Sohn could not be reached for comment.