This week, a federal court in Florida confirmed that Democrat Andrew Gillum has been charged with 21 felonies related to his unsuccessful 2018 Florida gubernatorial race, which he lost to current Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.
According to a press statement issued by the United States Department of Justice, Gillum and co-defendant Sharon Lettman-Hicks are charged with conspiracy to conduct wire fraud in connection with a scheme to funnel money back to Gillum for personal benefit.
“A federal grand jury has returned a twenty-one count indictment against Andrew Demetric Gillum, 42, and Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks, 53, both of Tallahassee, Florida. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida,” the DOJ added.
In the DOJ’s news statement, it was stated:
The Indictment alleges that between 2016 and 2019, defendants Gillum and Lettman-Hicks conspired to commit wire fraud, by unlawfully soliciting and obtaining funds from various entities and individuals through false and fraudulent promises and representations that the funds would be used for a legitimate purpose. The Indictment further alleges the defendants used third parties to divert a portion of those funds to a company owned by Lettman-Hicks, who then fraudulently provided the funds, disguised as payroll payments, to Gillum for his personal use. Both defendants are charged with 19 counts of wire fraud. Gillum is also charged with making false statements to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The initial appearance is scheduled for Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at 2:00 pm, at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee in the Magistrate Judge’s Courtroom on the main floor.
The maximum terms of imprisonment for the offenses are as follows:
5 years: Making False Statements
20 years: Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
20 years: Wire Fraud
NEW: 2018 Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has been indicted on 21 counts connected to campaign wire fraud https://t.co/4YpRynxEIE
— Axios (@axios) June 22, 2022
Democrat Andrew Gillum, who lost to Ron DeSantis, has turned himself to law enforcement amid alleged charges that are forthcoming.
Gillum claims he is innocent and that these charges are "political."
He is being charged by Biden's DOJ. https://t.co/RER5GgyC2J
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) June 22, 2022
It is expected that Gillum and Lettman-Hicks will appear in court in Tallahassee, Florida, on Wednesday.
More on this story via The Republican Brief:
“Every campaign I’ve run has been done with integrity. Make no mistake that this case is not legal, it is political,” Gillum said in a statement Wednesday.
“There’s been a target on my back ever since I was the mayor of Tallahassee. They found nothing then, and I have full confidence that my legal team will prove my innocence now,” he added. Read more…