Although former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is the latest to leave his post and the most recent to face criminal charges, he's not the first state head to find themselves intertwined with the criminal justice system.
Cuomo left the Albany office in August amid a scandal, much like his predecessors. Now, the Democrat is facing a criminal complaint about sexual misconduct. And across the country, a number of other governors have faced criminal charges.
Since the 1990s, 11 U.S. governors have been convicted of federal corruption offenses, in particular, violations to the Hobbs Act, RICO, the Travel Act, mail or wire fraud, or through establishing a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, according to the Center for Illinois Politics.
Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat who served from 2002 to 2009, had his prison sentence commuted by former President Donald Trump in February 2020.
Blagojevich was impeached by the Illinois General Assembly and was charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Most notably, he was accused of trying to sell former Senator Barack Obama's vacant seat for "personal financial benefits" after he won the presidential election.
"I caused it all. I'm not blaming anyone. I was governor, and I should have known better. I am just so incredibly sorry," Blagojevich said.
Two other former governors of Illinois, George Ryan, a Republican, and Otto Kerner Jr., a Democrat, also made the list for fraud and bribery and conspiracy and income tax invasion, respectively.
John G. Rowland, the former Republican governor of Connecticut from 1995 to 2004, was charged twice in 2004 and again in 2014. The first charges were in connection to a corruption scheme involving vacations, luxury air charters and home renovations for Rowland, according to the Center for Illinois Politics.
The list also includes nearly 20 other individuals with other charges who served as governor but were convicted for crimes committed either as an elected official or as a civilian.
In 1994, former Rhode Island Governor Edward DiPrete was indicted for accepting nearly $300,000 in bribes from contractors in exchange for state contracts. The Republican pleaded guilty to 18 criminal counts four years later in exchange for leniency for his accused son. He served one year in prison.
"The pressures of raising money for campaign spending obviously clouded my perspective. However, I can assure every citizen of Rhode Island that you received the very best," DiPrete said at the time.
A number of other politicians were convicted on charges but did not serve any time.
Mike Easley, a Democrat from North Carolina, reached a plea deal with prosecutors in 2010 that dropped several serious charges if he admitted to violating campaign finance laws. Initially, he faced up to 15 months in prison for taking advantage of free flights, cars, vacations and more, but did not go to jail and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.
Two years later, former Missouri Governor Roger Wilson plead guilty to laundering almost $10,000 in campaign contributions. He could have been sentenced to a year in prison but was only required to pay a $2,000 fine and was given two years probation.
Newsweek reached out to the New York State Governor's Office for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
