Alleged Embezzler Is Overseeing Rep. Andy Ogles’ Legal Defense Fund

Fund trustee James Appel faces charges of stealing from a political committee and a community group to help refinance his yacht.

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Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee outside the U.S. Capitol. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP

The manager for Republican Rep. Andy Ogles’ legal defense fund, James Appel, continues to oversee the fund despite facing federal charges of money laundering and wire fraud related to an indictment alleging he embezzled money from a Maryland politician’s campaign account and a community organization to refinance a yacht.

Appel, a political consultant at GOP Compliance LLC, is listed as the trustee of Ogles’ legal fund, according to House documents reviewed by NOTUS.

“I am still the trustee,” Appel told NOTUS in a statement on Wednesday.