Andrew Gillum, the former mayor of Tallahassee and the Democratic contender for governor of Florida in 2018, as well as Sharon Lettman-Hicks, a trusted adviser, were detained on federal campaign-related charges on Wednesday.
In a statement, the US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida acknowledged the accusations. A 21-count indictment identified both Lettman-Hicks, 53, and 42-year-old Gillum.
Andrew Gillum Planned to Commit Wire Fraud With Former Adviser
According to the indictment, Andrew Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks planned to commit wire fraud between 2016 and 2019, unlawfully soliciting and obtaining money from a number of organizations and individuals through false and fraudulent promises and representations that the funds would be used for a legitimate purpose, the government said.
Lettman-Hicks and Gillum both turned themselves in to the FBI. At 2 pm, their initial court appearance is set in the US Tallahassee courthouse. In a statement sent through his campaign, Gillum denied any misconduct. The charges' specifics weren't immediately known. It's probable that the charges against him may soon be made public if a federal grand jury indicts him.
Two of his lawyers, Marc Elias and David Oscar Markus, issued a statement suggesting Gillum will be vindicated of the claims. Gillum has been under FBI investigation for years, as the Tallahassee Democrat has reported. The FBI looked at investigating Gillum as part of its Operation Capital Currency investigation of public corruption at Tallahassee City Hall.
The investigation, which began in 2015, resulted in the arrests of former Mayor Scott Maddox, his longtime staffer Paige Carter-Smith, and rich businessman John "J.T." Burnette on bribery-related charges. All three were sentenced to federal jail terms last year, according to USA Today.
Gillum was also accused of providing false statements to FBI investigators. The maximum sentence for such an offense is five years in jail. In a statement, Gillum, who came within a percentage point of winning the 2018 election, denied any misconduct.
According to the allegations, Gillum and Lettman-Hicks illegally solicited and acquired cash from several people by fraudulently representing that the monies would be utilized for legitimate reasons. Prosecutors claim Lettman-Hicks then utilized a corporation she owned to mask part of the criminally obtained monies as salary payments to Gillum before he used them for personal reasons.
Angela Rye, a close friend of Gillum's, voiced her displeasure with the allegations, citing other politicians' alleged involvement in unethical behavior. Gillum gained global notoriety in 2018 when he ran for governor of Florida, becoming the state's first Black governor at a time when a federal grand jury was investigating public corruption in Tallahassee.
Who is Andrew Gillum?
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and pop artist Rihanna were among those who backed the emerging Democratic star. But he drew the ire of President Donald Trump and many of the conservative media before succumbing to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), Washington Post reported.
Gillum was identified as P&P's vice president in the firm's annual report, submitted in March of 2017. His monthly salary was given as $10,000. The communications firm's principal revenue source was lease payments from tenants in the company's downtown office building.
According to the indictment, the defendants are also accused of cheating one individual out of $150,000 of his $250,000 contribution to Gillum's campaign for governor in 2018.
The remaining funds were reportedly sent to P&P through an anonymous organization for a voter education program, which the defendants are accused of willfully failing to provide. Lettman-Hicks is accused of channeling $100,000 of that gift to Gillum's Forward Florida PAC, with the remainder going to an unnamed entity that Gillum and Lettman-Hicks might control.
The defendants were freed without bond as long as they followed the terms of the court.
They may not exchange phone calls, emails, direct messages, or face-to-face chats with any witness in the case to remain out of jail until the trial. "Nothing is possible," as per WFSU.
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