Sedgwick County Commissioner and former state Sen. Michael O’Donnell has been charged with more counts of wire fraud and money laundering related to his campaigns for office, just days before a scheduled hearing on Friday to have earlier charges dismissed.
A superseding indictment filed this week charges O’Donnell with 23 counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering.
O’Donnell is accused of taking $10,500 in checks from his "Michael for Kansas" and "Michael for Sedgwick County" campaign accounts and using the money to pay his friends and, in some cases, himself.
Read the superseding indictment here.
The latest indictment replaces one filed in April. It expands on the same allegations, which had been grouped together in the original indictment, but doesn't include earlier counts of filing false campaign expense reports with the state.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas says superseding indictments are frequently used as a way to make the case stronger.
O'Donnell pleaded not guilty in May to all charges. He's scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 28.
KMUW has contacted O'Donnell's attorney for comment.
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