Nebraska Lawmaker Steals $63,000 From Campaign Account, Gets $500 Fine

State Sen. Brenda Council (D)

The prosecutors and judges in Nebraska must be pretty forgiving. State Sen. Brenda Council, an Omaha Democrat, stole $63,000 from her campaign account to spend at a casino in Kansas. She blamed her criminal misdeeds on a gambling addiction. She was only charged with two misdemeanor counts related to filing false campaign reports and fined $500.00 after she promised to repay the money. She walked out of court without having to serve a single day in jail. She has already deposited a little more than $36,000 back into her campaign account, leaving $26,000 to be repaid. "We all fall down and what I'm doing now is getting back up," said Council following sentencing. "I have admitted to myself and to everyone else that I have a gambling problem. I'm receiving treatment for that. Right now, I'm looking forward to continue to serve the great residents in the state of Nebraska." Wow. Yeah, we all fall down at times, but most of us have to accept responsibility for our wrongdoing. Oh, did I mention she gets to keep her public office? Council is a lawyer when she's not working as a state lawmaker. Welcome to Obama Nation.