John E. Childress Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana
Gabriel Whitley, a former congressional candidate from Indianapolis, has been sentenced to three months in federal prison, followed by a year of supervised release. Whitley pleaded guilty to making materially false statements to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Court documents revealed that during the 2024 primary election, Whitley was a candidate for the United States Congress in Indiana’s 7th Congressional District. He did not succeed in the primary election held on May 7, 2024. Instead of raising funds through legitimate means, Whitley fabricated contributions and falsely reported to the FEC that he received these donations.
On October 11, 2023, as Treasurer for his committee "Honest Gabe for Congress," Whitley filed a report covering July 1 to September 30, 2023, falsely claiming that 67 individuals contributed approximately $222,690 to his campaign. The report included fabricated names, occupations, employers, and addresses.
He continued this deceit by filing another false report on January 31, 2024, and yet another on April 15, 2024, falsely claiming he loaned $100,000 to his campaign on March 7, 2024, despite not having done so.
John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, stated, "Gabriel Whitley intentionally created an illusion that he was a legitimate candidate for office with the financial support of the electorate, denying the public of its most powerful tool for casting informed ballots: transparency."
FBI Indianapolis Acting Special Agent in Charge Dominique Evans remarked, "When you are a candidate for public office, you have the same responsibility to follow the law just like the people you seek to represent. This wasn’t a mistake by Mr. Whitley—it was a deliberate effort to deceive the public by violating campaign finance laws for his own gain."
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II. Acting U.S. Attorney Childress expressed gratitude to Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, Trial Attorney Nicole Lockhart, and former PIN Trial Attorney Jacob Steiner for their roles in prosecuting the case.
