evolution

So reporteth the Lawrence Journal-World:

Adam Taff, the former Republican candidate for Congress, today pleaded guilty in federal court to charges that he illegally used campaign contributions to set up a fraudulent home mortgage.

Taff, 40, Lake Quivira, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of violating federal campaign law during a hearing before U.S. District Judge John W. Lungstrum in Kansas City, Kan. Taff had pleaded not guilty to the charges in September.

Sentencing is set for Feb. 13, 2006. He is free on bond. He faces a maximum penalty on the wire fraud charge of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. The maximum penalty on the campaign fund charge is five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.

For the backstory, including details of what he was charged with, see my previous pieces here. Taff’s business partner and former campaign manager, John Myers, pled guilty regarding his role in this matter in exchange for a $50,000 fine and no time. I assume that such a deal included Myers’s testimony against Taff, which probably precipitated Taff’s own deal.