US Rep. Corrine Brown indicted after fraud investigation

In addition to charging Brown, the 24-count indictment returned by a Florida grand jury this week also accuses her chief of staff, Elias “Ronnie” Simmoms, 50, of multiple counts of fraud.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell with the Justice Department said in a statement that Brown and her top aide used the nonprofit “as a personal slush fund”. “Corruption erodes the public’s trust in our entire system of representative government. One of the department’s most important responsibilities is to root out corruption at all levels of government and to bring wrongdoers to justice”.

“The defendants are alleged to have committed a multitude of criminal violations, including fraudulently receiving and using hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions meant for a non-profit organization for their own personal and professional benefit”, said Richard Weber, chief of IRS Criminal Investigation.

Brown, a 69-year-old Democrat from Jacksonville, Florida, is accused of using her political position to help raise more than $800,000 for a charity that donors believed supported college scholarships and other educational work.

Thefederal indictment against Brown was released Friday afternoon. Brown’s personal bank accounts.

Over a four-year period in which it raised the $800,000, One Door only made two donations – a $1,000 gift to a scholarship and a $200 donation to an unidentified person.

Correspondents Steven Dial and Clark Fouraker filed the Thursday report for First Coast News about how “Brown (D-Fla.) has been indicted on charges likely related to her involvement with an unregistered charity in Virginia and [will] appear in Jacksonville Federal Court Friday”. Brown was indicted Friday by a federal grand jury on. Court documents show they allegedly spent money earmarked for the One Door for Education charity for personal travel, luxury hotels, Beyonce concert tickets, box seats at a National Football League game and a personal IRS debt, among other expenses.

“They’re all together. The goal is to get rid of Corrine Brown”, she said. At that time, Brown told News4Jax she was not guilty of any wrongdoing.

“If she loses Tallahassee/Gadsden area by a large amount, an area Lawson is already known in to begin with, her reelection chances are not good”, said Isbell.

That same month, federal prosecutors asked a judge to delay Wiley’s sentencing because she was being a “cooperative witness”.

“What the community is praying for”, she answered.

“Well, we’ll find out”, she answered.

Documents previously obtained by The Associated Press from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s office show that he received an invitation bearing the seal of the House of Representatives to a July 13, 2013 golf tournament called the “Corrine Brown Invitational”.

She did not elaborate on her claim. Close associates say she is “strong” and “not worried” about the indictment. “Then the Gators don’t take no jive”, Brown added before yielding back the balance of her time.