Former New York republican Congressman Chris Collins reported to the federal prison camp in Pensacola, Florida for his 26-month prison sentence for making false statements to the FBI and securities fraud, Roll Call reports.
In an example of the wanton lawlessness spurred by the Trump Administration, Collins was convicted of using his position on a corporate board of directors to gain information that he and his family members used to game the stock market for personal profit.
While attending the White House Congressional Picnic in June 2017, Collins was filmed by news outlets and security cameras calling his son to sell shares of stock after he was notified that a highly touted drug had failed clinical trials, information that was not yet available to the public.
The first member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, Collins then lied to the FBI about the nature of the phone call to his son, even though he was on video making the call minutes after getting a text about the trial failure.
Collins asserted his innocence for months before pleading guilty to the crimes. He then attempted to avoid reporting for prison claiming the risk from COVID-19.
While Collins was the first member of Congress to endorse Trump, the second member of Congress to endorse Trump, Duncan Hunter, pleaded guilty to misuse of campaign funds and was sentenced to 11 months in prison.