TThe indictment came as Collins, 68, was seeking a fourth two-year term in November’s elections, where Democrats hope to recapture the House of Representatives.
“These charges are a reminder that this is a nation of laws, and that everybody stands equal before the bar of justice,” U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said at a news conference in Manhattan.
Collins said the charges were baseless and he would run for re-election in November in his upstate New York district.
By Brendan Pierson and Jonathan Stempel
