Aaron Schock

Aaron Jon Schock (born May 28, 1981) is a former American politician who was the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 18th congressional district from 2009 until 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Schock represented the 92nd District of the Illinois House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009. Schock resigned from Congress in March 2015 amid a scandal involving his use of public and campaign funds. A subsequent congressional ethics investigation revealed that he used taxpayer money to fund "lavish" trips and events. In November 2016, a federal grand jury indicted him in connection with the scandal. After he pleaded not guilty, prosecutors reached a deferred prosecution agreement with him in March 2019 whereby all charges were dropped in return for a period of good behavior and payment of $100,000 in restitution. As part of the deal, Schock's campaign committee, Schock for Congress, also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of failing to properly report expenses. Despite having a voting record of consistently opposing LGBTQ rights, Schock came out as gay in March 2020 and expressed regret for some of his previous policy decisions.