Campaign manager for former US Rep. Chris Shays pleads guilty to embezzlement

Former aide to US Rep. Shays pleads guilty

HARTFORD, Conn. — The ex-campaign manager for former U.S. Rep. Chris Shays pleaded guilty Thursday to tax evasion and to taking more than $250,000 in campaign money for car repairs, limousine rides, baseball tickets, furniture and other personal uses.

Michael Sohn, of Fairfield, entered the pleas in U.S. District Court in Hartford. He faces up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $75,000 under a plea deal. Sentencing is scheduled for May 27.

“I don’t disagree with anything,” Sohn, 35, told U.S. Magistrate Donna Martinez as Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Jongbloed read aloud the details of his spending and failure to report income.

Prosecutors say Sohn, using ATM and debit cards, took tens of thousands of dollars from Shays’ campaign account each year between 2005 and 2008.

In the plea agreement, Sohn disputed the prosecution’s position that he abused a position of trust, which would add jail time. If the sentencing judge agrees, he would face a sentence of 2 1/2 to three years and a fine of up to $60,000.

Sohn was charged with failing to report $527,136 in income between 2005 and 2008 as an employee of the Shays campaign and U.S. House of Representatives and the campaign money he took. Prosecutors also say he did not file a tax return in 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Sohn worked for nearly six years as campaign manager for Shays, a Republican who served 10 terms in Congress representing southwestern Connecticut. Shays lost the seat in 2008.

Prosecutors say Sohn caused Shays’ campaign committee to file four false campaign reports in 2008 because the reports did not accurately report the campaign’s expenditures and cash available.

Sohn had faced four counts of illegally converting campaign contributions to his personal use, four counts of making false statements, three counts of filing a federal income tax return and one count of tax evasion.

He pleaded guilty to one count of tax evasion and one count of illegal conversion.

Just weeks after Shays was defeated, a review of his campaign finances uncovered irregularities. Jongbloed said the campaign contacted the FBI, which investigated.