Former Senator Brian Kelsey sentenced to 21 months in prison for fraud

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Former Tennessee State Senator Brian Kelsey (R-Germantown) will spend 21 months in prison.

Kelsey pleaded guilty in November to violating campaign finance laws and conspiracy to defraud the Federal Election Commission to benefit his campaign for his 2016 campaign for U.S Congress.

After his sentence, Kelsey will face three years of supervised probation.

According to court documents, Kelsey conspired to and did illegally funnel money from several sources, including his own Tennessee State campaign committee.

According to a release, Kelsey, 44, of Germantown, admitted he conspired to and did secretly funnel money from several sources, including his own Tennessee State Senate campaign committee to his federal campaign committee.

In court filings, Kelsey said stress and time constraints led him to accept the plea deal agreement. Kelsey cites losing his lawyer license, the death of his father, the birth of twin sons and financial issues as the stress that led him to accept the plea agreement.

Click here to sign up for our newsletter!

Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.