Nashville, TN (WOKI) A former Tennessee State Senator from Germantown, a Memphis suburb, has been sentenced after violating campaign finance laws and defrauding the Federal Election Commission.
Forty-four year-old Brian Kelsey will face 21 months in prison and three years of supervised probation after admitting he conspired to and did secretly funnel money from several sources, including his own Tennessee State Senate campaign committee, to his federal campaign committee.
In a release Friday, Kelsey expressed regret over his actions saying he was “sorry for letting down [his] constituents and the public.”
In court filings, Kelsey said stress and time constraints led him to accept the plea deal agreement. Kelsey cites losing his lawyer license, the death of his father, the birth of twin sons and financial issues as the stress that led him to accept the plea agreement.
“The defendants attempted to hide from voters how Kelsey raised and spent campaign money,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The integrity of our elections is essential to democracy, and voters should know how candidates raise and spend campaign dollars. The Department will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to uncover and prosecute campaign finance schemes designed to evade disclosure, and to ensure that violations of these laws carry a high cost.”
“Brian Kelsey intentionally violated federal campaign finance laws and his oath as a state senator in order to deny Tennessee voters their right to make informed decisions about his candidacy for Congress,” said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “The court’s sentence today reflects the seriousness of his crimes and is a strong reminder of our commitment to root out public corruption and ensure the integrity of federal elections.”
