Florida Democrat and former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum, who was when found in a hotel space with drugs and a male escort, has actually been hit with a 21-count federal indictment for deceitful fundraising, wire fraud, and lying to the FBI, officials said Wednesday.
Gillum, who lost a tight race to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2018, conspired with his mentor, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, to reroute project contributions for individual usage, federal district attorneys stated.
Lettman-Hicks, who was likewise arraigned, assisted to divert a part of the contributions to a business she masked the scams and managed by painting the funds as payroll payments to Gillum.
The former Tallahassee mayor asserted his innocence ahead of a court appearance this afternoon.
“Every campaign I’ve run has been done with integrity,” he said in a statement. “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.”
Gillum fell from the public eye after he was discovered with an overdosed male prostitute in a South Beach hotel space in March 2020. Weding with 3 kids, Gillum came out as bisexual after the episode.
Long thought of as a growing Democratic phenom in Florida, he lost to DeSantis by a razor-thin margin of approximately 30,000 votes.
Gillum’s attorney, Marc Elias, said his client was innocent of the charges against him.
“The government got it wrong today,” Gillum’s legal team told NBC. “The evidence in this case is clear and will show that Mr. Gillum is innocent of all charges. We look forward to putting this case to rest and giving Andrew and his family peace of mind once and for all.”
A few of the charges originated from conduct preceding Gillum’s run for statewide office, according to federal district attorneys. He is likewise charged with lying to detectives.
The Justice Department explained in a statement,
“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.”
Gillum faces a maximum prison term of 20 years in prison for Wire Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud as well as Five years for making false statements to the FBI. According to the unsealed 26-page indictment released by Tallahassee Reports Gillum is accused of soliciting six-figure campaign sums and then diverting thousands for personal use.
