Overview
- Both Carol Ammons and Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons entered not guilty pleas at their initial court appearances on Thursday and were released while the case moves forward.
- The July 7 indictment accuses Carol Ammons of eight counts of wire fraud, one count of making a false statement to an FBI agent, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, and accuses Aaron Ammons of conspiracy and obstruction of justice.
- Magistrate Judge Eric Long set a discovery and pretrial conference for Aug. 24 and tentatively scheduled a jury trial to begin Sept. 22, with prosecutors telling the court they are not seeking detention for either defendant.
- Defense lawyers have formally asked the Illinois House to pause any special investigative committee so federal proceedings can run first, and House leaders say they are still working out a timeline for legislative action.
- Supporters have launched a public legal defense fund and framed the prosecution in political terms, while the court has warned that convictions could bring prison time, fines, and restitution for alleged misuse of campaign and state grant funds.