WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Division on Wednesday mentioned a federal grand jury voted to indict Tallahassee’s former Democratic mayor and Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum on fees of conspiracy, wire fraud and making false statements.
Gillum, 42, is going through quite a few prison fees alongside together with his affiliate, Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks, 53, the U.S. Lawyer for the Northern District of Florida mentioned.
Gillum, who had sought to turn into Florida’s first black governor, misplaced the 2018 race to his Republican rival, Governor Ron DeSantis, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump.
The Justice Division accused Gillum and Lettman-Hicks of conspiring to commit wire fraud by soliciting funds utilizing “fraudulent guarantees” between 2016 and 2019.
The cash they obtained was then allegedly funneled to an organization Lettman-Hicks owned, and disguised as payroll funds that Gillum obtained for his personal private use, the division mentioned.
Each Gillum and Lettman-Hicks are going through 19 counts of wire fraud, and Gillum can also be charged with making false statements to the FBI.
In a press release offered to NBC Information, Gillum mentioned the case was politically motivated. “There’s been a goal on my again ever since I used to be the mayor of Tallahassee,” he mentioned. “They discovered nothing then, and I’ve full confidence that my authorized crew will show my innocence now.”
Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch
Modifying by Invoice Berkrot
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