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For charges that include bank fraud, wire fraud, filing false tax returns, and lying to a bank, FBI and IRS agents arrested State Representative David Nangle Tuesday.

According to a lengthy indictment unsealed Tuesday, Rep. David Nangle of Lowell accrued a great many gambling debts throughout New England. As a result, he turned to his campaign coffers to make up the difference. The misuse of campaign funds constitutes a serious crime, as demonstrated by the national story in 2018 involving Donald Trump’s hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

In this case, Nangle used campaign funds to cover various personal expenses unrelated to his campaign. Joe Bonavolonta of the FBI explained, “Time after time he allegedly used campaign funds to pay for personal expenses, spending thousands of dollars on golf club fees, gas, gift cards, hotels, restaurants, flowers and rental cars for trips to casinos, some of which he had already been reimbursed for by taxpayers.”

Upon examination by regulators, Nangle lied, claiming a political purpose for each expense.

Rep. David Nangle Has a Serious Gambling Problem

His gambling problem led to tens of thousands of dollars of debt. He frequented casinos in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Additionally, he lost thousands on online betting.

Furthermore, he borrowed in excess of $100,000 from friends and business owners to fill in some of his debt. He returned these personal loans with campaign contributions.

Nangle also paid for a country club membership and its green fees with campaign funds, fraudulently labeling them as catering fees. He rented cars to travel to casinos with money from his campaign account.

On his taxes, Nangle claimed deductions that were highly improbable. For example, he claimed deductions for 47,000 miles of driving related to consulting work. That amounts to 345 miles per day for an entire year.