William Curlis

In May 2024 Curlis pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of wire fraud related to stealing nearly $1 million in campaign funds. Wire fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. As part of his plea, Curlis will pay $995,231 in restitution. William Curlis, 76, was charged by a bill of information in April 2024. According to the court documents, from 2008 until June 2023, Curlis defrauded candidates of approximately $995,231 of campaign funds. As part of his plea, Curlis admitted that he wrote checks from the bank accounts of certain candidates and one PAC to himself for personal use. The defendant transferred funds between campaign accounts without candidates’ knowledge to conceal the deficit he created. For example, from 2000 to 2023, Curlis was the primary signatory on at least 111 bank accounts, and of those, he was the only signatory on 108 accounts. Curlis wrote at least 179 checks to himself from campaign accounts belonging to 18 different candidates and one PAC. Curlis sold his home in 2016 to cover the cost of campaign expenses, including campaign media costs and account balances, to prevent the discovery of his theft.