Chris Collins (New York politician)

Chris Collins (born April 20, 1950) is an American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative for New York's 27th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. A Republican, Collins was the first member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.

Prior to his career in Congress, Collins was a businessman, serving as the CEO of Erie County Medical Center from 1998 to 2006. He was also the Erie County Executive from 2008 to 2011.

Collins' tenure in Congress was marked by his staunch support for conservative policies, including tax cuts and deregulation. He served on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

In August 2018, Collins was indicted on insider trading charges related to Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotechnology company on whose board he served. He initially pleaded not guilty but resigned from Congress in September 2019 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud and making false statements to the FBI. He was sentenced to 26 months in prison. He received a pardon from President Trump in December 2020.