Rep. Corrine Brown, a Florida Democrat, and her chief of staff have been indicted for their alleged roles in a scheme involving a fraudulent education charity.
Officials say the pair used Brown’s official position to solicit more than $800,000 in donations to the education charity One Door for Education Foundation Inc., then used the organization as a slush fund.
“Corrupt public officials undermine the integrity of our government and violate the public’s trust,” said Michelle Klimt, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Jacksonville Division. “It is incredibly disappointing that an elected official, who took an oath year after year to serve others, would exploit the needs of children and abuse the charitable hearts of constituents to advance her own personal and political agendas and deliver them with virtually nothing.”
The 24-count indictment covers multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, mail and wire fraud, concealing facts on required financial disclosure forms, theft of government property and filing false tax returns, according to the Justice Department.
Specifically, the indictment alleges that between late 2012 and early 2016, Brown and her chief of staff, Elias “Ronnie” Simmons, solicited donations for One Door that purportedly would be used for things like college scholarships and school computer drives.
But Brown, Simmons and Carla Wiley, the president of One Door, allegedly used tens of thousands of dollars from the donations for themselves, with One Door funds allegedly being used to pay for conference receptions and the use of a luxury box during an NFL game, among other things.
Only two One Door-associated scholarships totaling $1,200 allegedly were awarded to students to cover expenses related to attending a college or university.
Wiley pleaded guilty for her involvement in the scheme in March.
Brown represents Florida’s 5th Congressional District, a long sliver of the state stretching from Jacksonville to Orlando. The congresswoman, who was first elected to Congress in 1992, has largely focused on veterans issues and transportation in recent years.
A staff member in Brown’s office declined to comment on the case.
Source: U.S. News & World Report
