Since the 1990s, 11 U.S. governors have been convicted of federal corruption charges but a number of others have faced lesser offenses.
Although former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is the latest to leave his post and the most recent to face criminal charges, he’s not the first state head to find themselves intertwined with the criminal justice system. Cuomo left the Albany office in August amid a scandal, much like his predecessors. Now, the Democrat is facing a criminal complaint about sexual misconduct. And across the country, a number of other governors have faced criminal charges. Since the 1990s,11 U.S. governors have been convicted of federal corruption offenses, in particular, violations to the Hobbs Act, RICO, the Travel Act, mail or wire fraud, or through establishing a conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government, according to the Center for Illinois Politics. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat who served from 2002 to 2009, had his prison sentence commuted by former President Donald Trump in February 2020. Blagojevich was impeached by the Illinois General Assembly and was charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
