Barack Obama ally, former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, was found guilty on Thursday of pilfering money from a charity that was established to give scholarships to poor students. She was convicted of 18 of the 22 charges against her, including lying on her taxes and her congressional financial disclosure forms.
“During my entire political career, I have fought racism, injustice and advocated for individuals who normally get left behind,” Brown, 70, wrote before her conviction. “It should come as no surprise that some took offense to my efforts to stand up for you. … I was falsely accused by the federal government. … I am a woman of integrity and I categorically deny the charges.”
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The jury’s verdict came after prosecutors put on a detailed criminal case that outlined a pattern of fraud by Brown that included using hundreds of thousands of dollars from the One Door for Education Foundation for lavish parties, trips and shopping excursions.
She watched the judge read each verdict with no visible reaction.
Brown, a Democrat who represented the Florida district that included Jacksonville since 1993, had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, including fraud. She lost re-election last fall after her indictment.
Brown’s former chief of staff, Elias “Ronnie” Simmons, and the charity’s president pleaded guilty after their federal indictments for misusing the charity’s funds, and testified against Brown.
Federal prosecutors said Brown and her associates used a charity called One Door for Education to bring in more than $800,000 between 2012 and 2016. Brown’s indictment said the Virginia-based One Door only gave out one scholarship for $1,200 to an unidentified person in Florida.
Simmons said Brown ordered him to take cash and checks from One Door’s account. On dozens of occasions, Simmons said he was told to take out of One Door’s account the maximum $800 from an ATM near his house and deposit hundreds of it in Brown’s personal account. Sometimes he kept some for himself.
Brown testified in her own defense, saying she was left in the dark about the goings-on with One Door’s money, and blamed the theft on Simmons.
Brown helped steer millions of dollars in federal money and projects to her district, putting in $377 million worth of earmark requests in 2010 and – when the practice of putting dollar figures on requests ended the next year – later ranking second in the state in the total number of requests for pet projects.
On count 1, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, she was found guilty, according to Jacksonville TV station WJXT. Here are the verdicts:
Count 2, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty,
Count 3, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Not guilty
Count 4: aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 5: aiding and abetting mail fraud: Not guilty
Count 6, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 7, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 8, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 9, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 10, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 11, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 12, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 13, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 14, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Not guilty
Count 15, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 16, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Not guilty
Count 17, aiding and abetting mail fraud: Guilty
Count 19: Engaging in a scheme to conceal material facts: Guilty
Count 21: Corruptly endeavoring to obstruct or impede the due administration of IRS laws: Guilty
Count 22: Filing a false tax return: Guilty
Count 23: Filing a false tax return: Guilty
Count 24: Filing a false tax return: Guilty
Brown was one of the first three African Americans elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction after she was elected in 1992.
source (PHOTO: AP)