Following an indictment and his subsequent resignation as Columbia’s mayor, Kevin Hutchinson pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday of this week.
Hutchinson was indicted on Feb. 24 with charges of providing false statements to federal investigators in relation to his insurance dealings with the city. He resigned as mayor on March 1.
The investigation, conducted by the Southern Illinois Public Corruption Task Force, was to determine if Hutchinson had violated federal law after learning he had received commissions for City of Columbia insurance contracts. As an elected municipal official and a public officer Hutchinson was prohibited from “being financially interested, directly or indirectly, in any contract, work or business of the municipality.”
For more on Hutchinson, please see this week’s print edition.