Former state Sen. Brian Kelsey has been sentenced to 21 months in prison for campaign finance violations. The Germantown Republican admitted to illegally funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his state campaign to his failed bid for Congress in 2016, according to court documents.

Kelsey has been disbarred and will never be able to run for office. 

After today’s hearing US Attorney Henry Leventis said the sentencing should be viewed as a warning to others. 

Former State elected official Brian Kelsey has been sentenced to 21 months in prison. After which he’ll serve 3 years of probation.

— Blaise L Gainey (@BlaiseGainey) August 11, 2023

The sentence is lighter than what prosecutors had wanted; they had asked the judge to sentence Kelsey to 3-and-a-half years in prison. Kelsey’s attorney issued a written statement in which the former senator expressed regret for what he called “his mistake.”

Kelsey will begin his prison sentence in October.