Former Representative Corrine Brown is expected to be sentenced on Monday by a federal judge on charges of fraud and using a charity for poor students as a personal black fund. Brown is to appear in a Jacksonville court, in the Florida district she represented during her entire career. Brown is facing life imprisonment.
Earlier in May, Brown was convicted by a federal jury on 18 out of 22 charges against her, including fraud and lying on her tax returns. Prosecutors as well found that the former Florida Representative and her aides had used the money from the One Door for Education charity for luxurious parties, shopping, and travels.
Both Brown’s former chief of staff and the executive director of the charity, who are also to be sentenced on Monday, accepted plea deals and testified against her. According to federal prosecutors, the three brought in over $800,000 in the course of four years, using One Door. On the other hand, court documents show that only one unidentified student was awarded a $1,200 scholarship.
Elias “Ronnie” Simmons, Brown’s former chief of staff, said he was ordered by her to take money from the charity’s account and deposit it into Brown’s personal account. Brown denied his claims and said it was Simmons who stole the money, keeping her in the dark about it the entire time.
During a last month’s hearing, Brown’s attorney argued for leniency, saying that her community work should mitigate her crimes, Associated Press reports. Brown could be sentenced to years in prison for all 18 of her counts.
Each fraud or conspiracy conviction carries a potential 20-year sentence, and each tax conviction a potential of three years. Brown’s co-defendants will likely get lower sentences since they cooperated with federal prosecutors.
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