据司法部称，前共和党众议员克里斯·柯林斯因“参与内幕交易计划，并在接受联邦执法人员关于其行为的采访时做出虚假陈述”而被判刑。
美国地方法官弗农·布罗德里克周五在曼哈顿联邦法院宣布判处26个月监禁、20万美元罚款和一年监督释放。
柯林斯去年承认了自己在该计划中的角色，此前他最初否认在2018年连任竞选中有任何不当行为。前纽约第27区代表于2019年10月1日承认犯有共谋重罪和虚假陈述指控。
柯林斯告诉他的儿子一家上市公司的悬而未决的消息，导致他的儿子和另外七个人在消息公布前卖掉了他们的股票，股票价值下跌。通过提前出售股票，他们避免了70万美元的损失。前美国众议员克里斯·柯林斯于2020年1月17日在纽约市的判决听证会前进入美国地方法院。
美国纽约南区检察官杰弗里·伯曼在一份声明中说声明以下内容:
“前纽约国会议员兼先天委员会成员克里斯托弗·柯林斯收到机密的非公开信息，称先天正在开发的一种药物刚刚在临床试验中失败。
“片刻之后，柯林斯在白宫草坪上通知了他的儿子卡梅伦，这样他就可以在公开宣布之前交易股票，避免股票遭受重大损失。当被问及他的行为时，他向联邦调查局撒谎。
“柯林斯的贪婪和对法律的漠视现在导致了对内幕交易和向联邦调查局撒谎的刑事定罪、他从国会辞职以及两年多的联邦监狱服刑。立法者肩负着起草和通过法律的巨大特权和责任，但同样重要的是，绝对有义务遵守这些法律。
“柯林斯的傲慢无情地提醒人们，纽约人民能够也应该向他们选出的官员提出更多要求，而且不管他们有多强大，没有一个立法者能凌驾于法律之上。”
柯林斯是先天免疫治疗有限公司的主要投资者，该公司一直在开发一种治疗罕见多发性硬化症的药物。这种药物没有通过临床试验，柯林斯在白宫草坪的一次聚会上发现了这一点。
哥伦比亚广播公司的一台新闻摄像机拍摄到柯林斯给他的儿子卡梅伦打电话，导致他和另外六个人卖掉了他们的股票。柯林斯后来谎称打给联邦调查局的电话导致了虚假陈述抗辩。
卡梅伦·柯林斯和他未婚妻的父亲斯蒂芬·扎斯基，另一个先天投资者，承认他们在该计划中的角色，两人都将于下周被判刑。
柯林斯在国会任职七年，第一次当选是在2012年，然后三次连任，包括在2018年被指控联邦罪名后。在改选期间，他坚称自己是无辜的，并表示将与指控进行斗争。
然而，去年他改变了他的请求，承认参与其中，并辞去了职务。根据内城新闻，柯林斯说:“我站在这里，可能是我最后一次在公共场合做任何事情。我离开了水牛城。我不能面对我的选民。人们为我感到难过。他们不应该。我做了我该做的。”
自认罪后，科林斯搬到了佛罗里达州，法官建议在佛罗里达州狭长地带的最低安全监狱FCP·彭萨科拉服刑。
FORMER REPUBLICAN REP. CHRIS COLLINS SENTENCED TO 26 MONTHS, FINED $200,000 OVER INSIDER TRADING SCHEME
Former Republican Rep. Chris Collins has been sentenced for "participating in a scheme to commit insider trading and for making false statements to federal law enforcement agents when interviewed about his conduct," according to the Justice Department.
U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick handed down the sentence in Manhattan federal court on Friday of 26 months in prison, a $200,000 fine, and one year of supervised release.
Collins admitted to his role in the scheme last year, after initially denying any wrongdoing during his re-election campaign in 2018. The former New York 27th district representative pleaded guilty to felony conspiracy and false-statement charges on October 1, 2019.
Collins told his son pending news about a publicly-traded company, resulting in his son and seven others selling their stock before the news was made public and the stock value dropped. By selling their stock early they avoided $700,000 in losses.
Former U.S. Rep. Chris Collins enters U.S. District Court ahead of a sentencing hearing on January 17, 2020 in New York City.
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, said in a statement:
"Former New York Congressman and Innate board member Christopher Collins received confidential, nonpublic information that one of Innate's drugs in development had just failed a clinical trial.
"Moments later, from the White House lawn, Collins notified his son Cameron, so that he could trade the stock ahead of the public announcement and avoid taking a substantial loss on the stock. He then lied to the FBI when asked about his conduct.
"Collins's greed and disregard for the law have now led to a criminal conviction for insider trading and lying to the FBI, his resignation from Congress, and over two years in federal prison. Lawmakers bear the profound privilege and responsibility of writing and passing laws, but equally as important, the absolute obligation of following them.
"Collins's hubris is a stark reminder that the people of New York can and should demand more from their elected officials, and that no matter how powerful, no lawmaker is above the law."
Collins was a major investor in Innate Immunotherapeutics Ltd., a company that had been developing a drug to treat a rare form of multiple sclerosis. The drug failed its clinical testing and Collins found out while at a party on the White House lawn.
A CBS news camera captured Collins calling his son Cameron, which led to him and six others selling their stock. Collins later lied about the phone call to the FBI resulting in the false-statement plea.
Cameron Collins and his fiancée's father, Stephen Zarsky, another Innate investor, pleaded guilty to their role in the scheme and both are due for sentencing next week.
Collins served seven years in Congress, being first elected in 2012, and then re-elected three times, including in 2018 after being indicted on federal charges. During the re-election, he maintained his innocence and said he would fight the charges.
However, last year he changed his plea, admitted to being involved, and resigned from office. According to the Inner City Press, Collins said: "I am standing here, probably the last time I will do anything in public. I left Buffalo. I cannot face my constituents. People feel sorry for me. They shouldn't. I did what I did."
Since pleading guilty, Collins moved to Florida and the judge recommended that his sentence be served at FCP Pensacola, which is a minimum-security prison on the Florida panhandle.
