Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock’s legal woes have been lucrative for a handful of law firms that have collected more than $1 million from his campaign fund over the past three months, according to a campaign disclosure report released Wednesday by the Federal Election Commission.
In addition, the report shows that Schock owes almost $750,000 to the law firm Jones Day.
A federal grand jury in Springfield has been hearing evidence for several months about Schock’s campaign spending. Federal authorities turned their attention to the three-term Republican from Peoria earlier this year amid questions over his spending on private jets and world-class hotels.
Schock abruptly resigned in March after reports that he may have overbilled the government for mileage reimbursement on a vehicle he had purchased with political contributions.
One of his largest travel expenses logged in the latest report was from May, when Schock spent $22,080 on event space at The Little Nell, a five-star luxury hotel in Aspen, Colo. Thousands of dollars were also spent on meals at high-end restaurants and attributed to fundraising-related expenses, the report shows.
In recent months, Schock returned $57,800 worth of political contributions, the report shows. Reimbursements were made to contributors including prominent Chicago-area businessmen Ron Gidwitz, Sam Zell and restaurateur Richard Melman.
As of the end of June, $2.1 million remained in Schock’s campaign fund.
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