Former Florida candidate for governor Andrew Gillum indicted for fraud, conspiracy, lying to FBI
(Also indicted, Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks, Image credit: Linkedin)
Andrew Demetric Gillum, former Mayor of Tallahassee, could have been Florida’s governor these days had he not lost the last Florida gubernatorial race to current Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Since losing that election, Gillum has found himself in the headlines a few times, and not for anything positive.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) narrowly defeated Gillum in the election in 2018. Then, Gillum withdrew from politics two years later after being found “inebriated” in a hotel room with a man suspected of having a methamphetamine overdose. ~ Law and Crime
On June 22, a federal grand jury returned a 21-count indictment against the 42-year-old Gillum and his political advisor, 53-year-old Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks – who is also the National Black Justice Coalition CEO and Board Chair. Both Gillum and Lettman-Hicks are from Tallahassee.
The indictment was announced yesterday in the Northern District of Florida.
Court papers allege that between 2016 and 2019, 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. Their initial court appearances went down yesterday in Tallahassee. The investigation was conducted by the FBI.
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
Gillum insisted in a statement to NBC News that the charges dropped yesterday were political – though he has been under federal investigation for accepting gifts from lobbyists and interests for years, including for accepting Broadway tickets in a sting operation.
“I have spent the last 20 years of my life in public service and continue to fight for the people,” Gillum said. “Every campaign I’ve run has been done with integrity. Make no mistake that this case is not legal, it is political. Throughout my career I have always stood up for the people of Florida and have spoken truth to power. 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.” ~ Florida Daily
For more on the indictment levied against Gillum and Lettman-Hicks, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office / Northern District of Florida)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
