Judge says he was misled by prosecutor in Aaron Schock case

The federal judge in charge of former Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) said Tuesday that the prosecution misled him in the criminal investigation into the former congressman.

Judge Colin Bruce wrote Tuesday that the lead prosecutor on the case “misled” the court when he denied that prosecutors told jurors that the Illinois Republican had been subpoenaed by a grand jury but had declined to appear, according to an order provided to Politico.

{mosads}

“The recent revelation puts this court in a somewhat difficult position as it is now aware that it was misled by the Government,” Bruce wrote in court documents.

“Unfortunately, this court relied upon, and even quoted, the Government’s inaccurate statement, which it now knows to be false, in a previous order. While the court’s reliance on that statement was not dispositive of any issue, the court must ensure that it does not rely on any inaccurate information in any future orders.”

The former congressman has sought to dismiss the case over allegations of misconduct by government investigators, who said in April that they had turned one of Schock’s staffers into a confidential informant against the ex-lawmaker. 

According to court filings by Schock’s lawyers, investigators allegedly had the staffer “steal” documents, including another staffer’s emails.

Schock was indicted on 24 felony counts last year over allegations that he used campaign funds and House expense accounts inappropriately. 

Schock’s lawyers have denied the charges. His trial begins in January.