Ex-Kan. legislator going to prison for COVID relief fraud

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas lawmaker who was convicted of 12 felonies for lying on applications for federal COVID-19 relief was sentenced Thursday to two years and three months in prison, according to online court records.

An attorney for former Republican state Rep. Michael Capps argued for probation in court documents, citing Capps’ Air Force service in a combat zone. But prosecutors asked for a sentence of four years and three months in prison, arguing in court documents that he “continues to show neither remorse nor contrition" over stealing nearly $500,000 in funds meant to help businesses remain afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to the prison time, U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren sentenced Capps to two years of supervised release, and he ordered him to pay more than a half-million dollars in restitution and the forfeiture of illegal proceeds, The Wichita Eagle reported.

Prosecutors said Capps filed forms inflating the number of employees he had at two businesses and a sports foundation, then applied for loans to pay the nonexistent employees.

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