Patrick Lynn Swindall (born October 18, 1950) is an American former politician, attorney, and businessman who served as a Republican member of the US House of Representatives from Georgia's 4th congressional district, based in Atlanta's eastern suburbs, from 1985 to 1989.
Video Pat Swindall
Education and career
Born in Gadsden, Alabama, Swindall earned a B.A. from the University of Georgia in 1972 and obtained his J.D. from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1975. He practiced law in Atlanta from 1975 until his election to Congress.
In 1984, with Robb Austin as his campaign manager, Swindall defeated five term Democratic congressman Elliott H. Levitas by six percentage points, an upset election considering Levitas was elected with relative ease since his first election in 1974. He won by a similar margin against actor Ben L. Jones in 1986. However, Swindall lost in a rematch with Jones in 1988 by a 20 point margin.
Maps Pat Swindall
Legal troubles
In October 1988, Swindall was indicted on ten counts of perjury related to a money laundering scheme. In recorded dealings with an undercover IRS agent posing as a representative of the Colombian drug cartel, Swindall was told that the $850,000 loan he was seeking to finish building his luxury home included illegal drug money and that he would be part of an operation to "wash" cash. Swindall proposed that an associate set up a mortgage company to funnel the money through.
During an ensuing investigation into the illegal drug trade, Swindall lied to a federal grand jury about his knowledge that the funds were from a drug trafficking operation, which was refuted by the undercover tapes. While one of the perjury charges was dismissed by District Judge Richard C. Freeman, the jury convicted Swindall on nine counts and sentenced to one year in prison and a fine of $30,450.
On appeal, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned three of the counts, but the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the remaining six and he began serving his sentence in 1994. He was disbarred by the Supreme Court of Georgia in 1996.
Upon his release from prison on February 9, 1995, Swindall hosted a religious-themed conservative radio show on the Providence Broadcasting Network. His show's motto was "Where religion and politics converge." When the Providence Broadcasting Network ceased operations, Swindall announced that he was going to "pursue a prison ministry." [1].
In June 2009, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Swindall and two of his fired employees for making illegal campaign contributions to Atlanta City Councilwoman Joyce Sheperd. The businessmen were indicted for making false statements because they said that Swindall was the actual source of the contributions. The donations were reported on Sheperd's campaign disclosure forms as coming from other people, including family and friends of the two former employees.
In November 2009, he was involved in a confrontation with tenants at a flea market location he had formerly leased; Swindall left after College Park code enforcement officers and police arrived. He wanted to remove the walls that delineate the individual stalls within the flea market. Swindall also wanted to remove other structures belonging to him, but the request was denied this by the College Park Police.
Swindall is married to former Duke University cheerleader Kimberly. During his time in Congress the two were called the Barbie and Ken of Politics. Swindall is the owner of multiple businesses in Atlanta and College Park.
See also
- List of American federal politicians convicted of crimes
- List of federal political scandals in the United States
- Bob Barr
Books
- A House Divided: A Congressman Examines the Divisive Issues That Face America, (1987). ISBN 0-8407-9079-1
References
External links
- United States Congress. "Pat Swindall (id: S001122)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Pat Swindall papers at the University of West Georgia
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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