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In 2014, he was defeated in the Republican primary for the [[United States Senate]] by moderate Republican [[John Cornyn]], who went on to defeat [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] opposition to win his third term.  [[Dwayne Stovall]], a school board member from Cleveland in Liberty County in southeastern Texas, divided the conservative vote with Stockman, but Cornyn had a majority in the primary anyway. By entering the Senate contest, Stockman was unable to seek reelection to the House.

In 2014, he was defeated in the Republican primary for the [[United States Senate]] by moderate Republican [[John Cornyn]], who went on to defeat [[Democratic Party|Democratic]] opposition to win his third term.  [[Dwayne Stovall]], a school board member from Cleveland in Liberty County in southeastern Texas, divided the conservative vote with Stockman, but Cornyn had a majority in the primary anyway. By entering the Senate contest, Stockman was unable to seek reelection to the House.

On March 28, 2017, Stockman was [[indictment|indicted]] by a federal grand jury for an assortment of financial crimes. He is charged with having obtained $1.25 million under false pretenses from conservative donors and used that money to pay personal expenses and to underwrite his political campaigns. He faced eleven counts of money laundering, eight counts of mail and wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to make "conduit contributions" and false statements, two counts of making false statements to the [[Federal Election Commission]], one count of making excessive contributions, and another count for not disclosing his total income on his 2013 federal tax return. Stockman's trial began March 19, 2018.<ref>Eric Garcia, "Corruption Trial Begins for Former Rep. Steve Stockman", ''Roll Call'', March 19, 2018.</ref> On April 12, Stockman was convicted on twenty-three of the twenty-four felonies for which he was charged. He reaffirmed his innocence but faces potentially decades in prison. After sentencing, he will appeal the verdict. He is currently confined in Conroe, Texas, north of Houston, prior to the sentencing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Former-U-S-Rep-Steve-Stockman-convicted-in-12821521.php|title=Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman convicted in massive fraud scheme|publisher=''The Houston Chronicle''|date=April 12, 2018|author=Gabrielle Banks|accessdate=April 13, 2018}}</ref>

On March 28, 2017, Stockman was [[indictment|indicted]] by a federal grand jury for an assortment of financial crimes. He is charged with having obtained $1.25 million under false pretenses from conservative donors and used that money to pay personal expenses and to underwrite his political campaigns. He faced eleven counts of money laundering, eight counts of mail and wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to make "conduit contributions" and false statements, two counts of making false statements to the [[Federal Election Commission]], one count of making excessive contributions, and another count for not disclosing his total income on his 2013 federal tax return. Stockman's trial began March 19, 2018.<ref>Eric Garcia, "Corruption Trial Begins for Former Rep. Steve Stockman", ''Roll Call'', March 19, 2018.</ref> On April 12, Stockman was convicted on twenty-three of the twenty-four felonies for which he was charged. He reaffirmed his innocence but faces potentially decades in prison. He is currently confined in Conroe, Texas, north of Houston.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Former-U-S-Rep-Steve-Stockman-convicted-in-12821521.php|title=Former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman convicted in massive fraud scheme|publisher=''The Houston Chronicle''|date=April 12, 2018|author=Gabrielle Banks|accessdate=April 13, 2018}}</ref>

He could receive as much as 283 years in prison for the 23 charges, which nearly all relate to checks that he received from two donors totaling about $950,000. A website established up by supporters attributes the prosecution in the case, which began in the [[Barack H. Obama]] Justice Department, as an example of the “deep state” in action. Former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell worked briefly pro-bono on Stockman’s legal team following his conviction, filing a court document calling for his release from prison pending his sentencing hearing and appeal. Powell said that justice was not served in the case.<ref name=westrec>{{cite web|url=https://www.westernjournal.com/supporters-former-gop-congressmans-conviction-latest-example-deep-state-retaliation/|title=Supporters Say Former GOP Congressman’s Conviction Latest Example of ‘Deep State’ Retaliation|author=Randy DeSoto|publisher=''The Western Journal''|date=August 2, 2018|accessdate=August 3, 2018}}</ref>

He could have received as much as 283 years in prison for the 23 charges, which nearly all relate to checks that he received from two donors totaling about $950,000. A website established up by supporters attributes the prosecution in the case, which began in the [[Barack H. Obama]] Justice Department, as an example of the “[[deep state]]” in action. Former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell worked briefly pro-bono on Stockman’s legal team following his conviction, filing a court document calling for his release from prison pending his sentencing hearing and appeal. Powell said that justice was not served in the case.<ref name=westrec>{{cite web|url=https://www.westernjournal.com/supporters-former-gop-congressmans-conviction-latest-example-deep-state-retaliation/|title=Supporters Say Former GOP Congressman’s Conviction Latest Example of ‘Deep State’ Retaliation|author=Randy DeSoto|publisher=''The Western Journal''|date=August 2, 2018|accessdate=August 3, 2018}}</ref>

Nationally syndicated columnist [[Joseph Farah]] called upon President [[Donald Trump]] to [[pardon]] Stockman. Farah said:

Nationally syndicated columnist [[Joseph Farah]] called upon President [[Donald Trump]] to [[pardon]] Stockman. Farah said:

Steve Stockman’s journey through the underbelly of the federal judicial system began when he filed a House Resolution demanding the arrest of Lois Lerner for contempt of Congress. Within two weeks of that constitutionally protected action the FBI was at then-Congressman Stockman’s door, and he became the subject of a three-year witch hunt.

Steve Stockman’s journey through the underbelly of the federal judicial system began when he filed a House Resolution demanding the arrest of Lois Lerner for contempt of Congress. Within two weeks of that constitutionally protected action the FBI was at then-Congressman Stockman’s door, and he became the subject of a three-year witch hunt.

It was not until the FBI used all their considerable resources to intimidate a former associate into pleading guilty and testifying against Steve that a fourth Grand Jury indicted him on charges that could have led to 283 years in prison. [Stockman is} an unyielding foe of government corruption and overreach [who] sits in a federal prison unable to work or even help his wife Patty raise the money necessary to pay for his appeal – and that’s part of the corrupt strategy being pursued by those who want to him out of public life – spend four years harassing the target and siphoning-off his resources, so that he his unable to defend himself."<ref.{{cite web|url=http://www.conservativehq.com/node/29467|title=The Persecution of Congressman Steve Stockman|publisher=Conservativehq.com|date=January 11, 2019|accessdate=January 12, 2019}}</ref></blockquote>

It was not until the FBI used all their considerable resources to intimidate a former associate into pleading guilty and testifying against Steve that a fourth Grand Jury indicted him on charges that could have led to 283 years in prison. [Stockman is} an unyielding foe of government corruption and overreach [who] sits in a federal prison unable to work or even help his wife Patty raise the money necessary to pay for his appeal – and that’s part of the corrupt strategy being pursued by those who want to him out of public life – spend four years harassing the target and siphoning-off his resources, so that he his unable to defend himself."<ref.{{cite web|url=http://www.conservativehq.com/node/29467|title=The Persecution of Congressman Steve Stockman|publisher=Conservativehq.com|date=January 11, 2019|accessdate=January 12, 2019}}</ref></blockquote>

==References==

==References==