URBANA – State Rep. Carol Ammons and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, pleaded not guilty to a combined 11 counts of wire fraud and obstruction of justice Thursday morning.
The longtime Champaign-Urbana politicians were indicted by a federal grand jury last week. The indictment alleges State Rep. Ammons used her campaign fund and leveraged state grants to enrich herself and her family members. It also claims Clerk Ammons conspired with his wife to obstruct a federal investigation into the alleged fraud.
“I maintain that these allegations are not true,” State Rep. Ammons said outside the courthouse surrounded by supporters, “and I look forward to responding to them through the legal process where the facts can be fully examined.”
The indictment claims State Rep. Ammons improperly used her political campaign fund to pay her daughter and filed “materially false” forms to the Illinois State Board of Elections to conceal an unethical use of campaign funds.
The indictment also states that she redirected state grant funding to organizations for her daughter to be paid and took actions to receive illegal cash payments from other organizations.
Most of the charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, prosecutors said.
State Rep. Ammons faces eight counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement. She and Clerk Ammons face one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Clerk Ammons also faces one count of obstruction of justice.
Both were granted pretrial release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Long set the trial for Sept. 22 with Chief U.S. District Judge Colin Bruce. Long noted that could change due to discovery.
State Rep. Ammons has been temporarily removed from House Democratic Caucus meetings and House committees. An Illinois House committee will further investigate her actions.
“We don’t want that proceeding to get in the way of this proceeding, so we’re looking into that process,” her attorney, Mutaqee Akbar, said. “And hopefully we can postpone that, so we can focus our attention on our due process rights in federal court.”
Supporters have started a legal defense fund for the couple.
“We are just establishing this defense fund to ensure that they have resources necessary to mount a complete and vigorous defense,” Reparations United Director Kamm Howard said.
He alleged the charges against State Rep. Ammons are retaliation from the federal government for her support of reparations, the movement to make amends for the enslavement of Black Americans and the systemic racism still present in the U.S. today.
Last month, the Trump administration joined a lawsuit attempting to stop a first-of-its-kind reparations plan in Evanston from compensating victims of housing discrimination.
“Her indictment must therefore be examined within the broader environment in which reparations programs, the public officials who advance them and the communities that support them are increasingly being confronted with federal hostility,” Howard said.
When asked what reparations legislation she has supported, State Rep. Ammons cited HR 453, which funded a program that gives descendants of enslaved people access to free DNA testing.
She’s also supported the State of Illinois African Descent-Citizens Reparations Commission, a group established by state law tasked with developing and implementing measures to ensure equity, equality and parity for all Black descendants of slavery. Two members of the House serve on the commission, but State Rep. Ammons has not. She has served as a joint chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.
It’s possible these charges are motivated by State Rep. Ammons reparations work, Akbar said.
“I think that’s always present in these kind of cases, but at this stage, we haven’t even seen the discovery or the evidence,” he said. “We just have the indictment.”
Both State Rep. Ammons and Clerk Ammons are running for reelection this year.
“I look forward to continuing my process and continuing to work for the people of the 103rd district,” State Rep. Ammons said when asked if she will still be on the ballot in the fall.
She is running unopposed. Clerk Ammons is facing Republican Alan Anderson in November. He has also indicated he will continue to serve as county clerk through the judicial process.
Editor’s note: State Rep. Ammons supported state funding for “Teen Summit 2.0: The Remix,” a youth media initiative partially produced by Illinois Public Media. The funding was not provided directly to IPM, and the initiative is not named in the indictment.