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<\/a>Former U.S. Representative Found Guilty of Fraud<\/h1>\nCorrine Brown was convicted Thursday of stealing funds from a fake charity masquerading as a scholarship service.<\/h3>\n
Aria Bendix
\nThe Atlantic<\/p>\n
Former U.S. Representative Corrine Brown was found guilty Thursday of pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars that she raised for a fake charity alongside her former chief of staff, Elias \u201cRonnie\u201d Simmons. Brown was a member of the House of Representatives for more than two decades, and one of the first African-Americans from Florida to be elected to Congress. She ran for reelection in 2016, but was defeated shortly after news surfaced that she had been indicted on seven counts of wire fraud, five counts of mail fraud, three counts of falsifying tax returns, and one count of conspiracy.<\/p>\n
From 2012 to 2016, Brown and Simmons were aligned with the One Door for Education Foundation, a Virginia-based organization claiming to provide education expenses like college scholarships and school computers to underprivileged students. Brown was accused of using her status as a congresswoman to solicit more than $800,000 for the fraudulent charity. Federal prosecutors said<\/a> Brown and Simmons used the donations to finance vacations and car repairs. The Justice Department also accused them<\/a> of diverting more than $300,000 in funds \u201cfor events either hosted by Brown or held in her honor,\u201d including a high-profile golf tournament, box seats for an NFL game, and tickets to a Beyonc\u00e9 concert. According to Brown\u2019s indictment, only $1,200 of the charity\u2019s funds were used for scholarships over five years.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Brown was convicted of 18 of the 22 charges filed against her, despite pleading \u201cnot guilty.\u201d Brown escaped two charges of mail fraud and two charges of wire fraud. Both Simmons and the charity\u2019s president, Carla Wiley, pleaded guilty and testified against Brown in court. Simmons claimed that Brown had instructed him to remove money from the charity\u2019s account on multiple occasions. Most of the money he deposited into Brown\u2019s personal account, he said, and some he pocketed himself.Brown, who testified on her own behalf, presented a different story, arguing that Simmons was responsible for the theft, and that she had been too trusting of both him and other staffers. According to local NPR affiliate WJCT, the prosecution attempted to portray<\/a> Brown \u201cas an egotistical politician who lived beyond her means,\u201d presenting evidence in the form of bank records, checks, letters, and emails.A statement<\/a> from the Jacksonville FBI department explains the guilty verdict:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Former Congresswoman Brown took an oath year after year to serve others, but instead she exploited the needs of children and deceived her constituents to advance her own personal and political agendas. Corrupt public officials undermine the integrity of our government and violate the public’s trust, and that is why investigating public corruption remains the FBI\u2019s top criminal priority.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Brown responded<\/a> with her own statement through her lawyer on Thursday, in which she maintained her innocence and indicated her plans to motion for a second trial:<\/p>\n Just got this statement from Corrine Brown attorney. @ActionNewsJax<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4odg9uZhwQ<\/a><\/p>\n — Larry Spruill Jr (@LarrySReports) May 11, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n