By US~Observer Staff
Florida – On May 11, 2017, Former Dem. Representative Corrine Brown was found guilty on 18 out of 22 criminal charges leveled against her. Brown’s charges consisted of filing false income tax returns, conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud, aiding and abetting mail fraud charges, aiding and abetting wire fraud, engaging in a scheme to hide facts and corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede IRS laws. Although a sentencing date isn’t set, Brown will be facing more than 300 years in prison for the crimes she was convicted of.
Brown was specifically ridiculed for a charity of hers, “One Door for Education,” which raised $833,000 with only $1,200 actually being provided to the students who were supposed to receive the donations. The rest of the funds were alleged to have been spent on lavish parties, tickets to see Beyonce, NFL games, golf tournaments, cosmetic dermatology, Beverly Hills shopping and more.
Corrine Brown pictured with Hillary Clinton and Former President Barack Obama
When U.S. Attorney prosecutor Tysen Duva informed jurors that Brown spent $7,000 more than her income during one single month, Brown brushed it off by saying, “Sir, I’m just like anybody else. I know how to rob Peter to pay Paul.”
Brown claims her former chief of staff was to blame, yet he claims she directly instructed him to steal money from a foundation and deposit the funds into her private account. At one point during trial, Brown had an emotional outburst, yelling, “He’s trying to destroy my life.”
The Department of Justice released a statement claiming Brown was a corrupt public official who undermined the integrity of government. Their statement read in part, “Former Congresswoman Corrine Brown violated the public trust, the honor of her position, and the integrity of the American system of government when she abused one of the most powerful positions in the nation for her own personal gain. She shamefully deprived needy children of hundreds of thousands of dollars that could have helped…”
Brown served as Florida’s fifth Congressional district representative before losing during the August primary in the wake of her federal criminal charges. After 24 years in Congress, Brown’s term ended in January. Brown will likely appeal her conviction as she claimed her innocence in a post conviction interview. Brown is free on bond until sentencing.
