SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A federal grand jury indicted Illinois State Rep. Carol Ammons and Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons on Tuesday on fraud and obstruction-related charges.
The indictment alleges Carol Ammons carried out a scheme from about 2017 to June 15, 2025, to defraud the State of Illinois, taxpayers and campaign donors.
Prosecutors claim Ammons converted campaign donations for personal use and helped local organizations obtain state grants that financially benefited her and her daughter.
The indictment comes about a month after Titianna Ammons, the daughter of Carol and Aaron Ammons, was also indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of wire fraud.
Carol Ammons is now charged with multiple counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.
Prosecutors argue that money from the Friends of Carol Ammons campaign account was paid to Ammons and family members for expenses that were not legitimate campaign services. They also claim D-2 forms filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections misstated or omitted certain campaign expenditures, including payments allegedly routed back to Ammons in cash.
The indictment alleges Ammons and her daughter received more than $100,000 in financial benefits.
Hood Vote, Bridgewater Sullivan Community Life Center and the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center were all organizations named in the indictment. Prosecutors believe Ammons helped facilitate grants to these organizations.
Prosecutors also allege Carol falsely told an FBI agent she had no knowledge of a conflict of interest involving Hood Vote paying her daughter from a state grant.
Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons is facing obstruction-related charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice and a separate obstruction count. The indictment claims he told a potential witness to “muddy the waters” with the FBI and discussed using code words about the investigation.
This is a developing story and will be updated as we learn more.
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