BEND, OR -- Former Oregon Congressman Wes Cooley passed away in Bend, Wednesday, at the age of 82.  Cooley represented Oregon's 2nd Congressional District from 1995-1997.  He dropped out of his re-election race in 1996 after he was accused of lying in the voters pamphlet about his military service.  In 2009, he was charged with money laundering for his role in an alleged online investment scheme.  And, in 2012, he was sentenced to a year in prison for filing a falsified tax return.

Former Cooley campaign manager and Current 2nd district Congressman Greg Walden released a statement yesterday, saying:  "Despite his various legal issues over the last 20 years, I know he cared deeply about the rural west and the country."