IL State Rep Charged In Yearslong Fraud Scheme: Reports

A Central Illinois state representative and her husband, a county clerk, face numerous federal charges in connection with a yearslong fraud scheme netting over $100,000, according to reports.

State Rep. Carol Ammons, D-Urbana, is charged with eight counts of wire fraud and one count of lying to an FBI agent, The News-Gazette reported, while her husband, Aaron Ammons, the Champaign County clerk and recorder, is charged with obstructing justice.

Both face a conspiracy charge, according to the newspaper, which noted they are each seeking re-election in November.

House Officials Weigh In

In a statement on Wednesday, House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, a Democrat, said that, “Every person under our system of justice is entitled to the presumption of innocence and due process.”

He added that he was temporarily removing Carol Ammons from House Democratic Caucus meetings, House committees, and access to his office’s staff and resources. He also said his staff would review the budget in light of the allegations.

Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, a Republican, called for Carol Ammons to resign and for Welch to hold her accountable.

Details Of The Scheme

Carol Ammons’ scheme ran from roughly 2017 to 2025, and saw the representative and her family paid campaign funds illegitimately using a kickback system, The News-Gazette reported, adding her daughter received over $15,000.

Carol Ammons was also involved in granting millions of state dollars to three organizations — Hood Vote Neighborhood Transformation, the Bridgewater-Sullivan Community Life Center and the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center — all of which employed her daughter, who was paid some of the grant money, according to the newspaper.

Matt Hill, a spokesperson for Gov. JB Pritzker, told the Chicago Tribune that the governor’s office would review all grants listed in the indictment where issues were not previously identified and addressed.

Aaron Ammons in 2025 asked a person to “muddy the waters” to make illegal cash payments harder to trace, The News-Gazette reported.

The couple’s daughter, Titianna Ammons, a chief deputy circuit clerk and former Champaign County Board member, was charged about a month ago with three counts of defrauding state and federal employment officials, after she accepted unemployment benefits while earning income, according to the newspaper, which reported she pleaded not guilty.

Her lawyer, Melinda Longford Power, in a phone call with the Tribune, described the Ammons family as “civic-minded.”

Attempts by the News-Gazette and the Tribune to contact Carol and Aaron Ammons did not yield comment from either.