Andrew Gillum, DeSantis’ democratic rival in 2018, and an associate yielded to federal authorities in the city of Tallahassee last week on Wednesday after they were charged with conspiracy and 19 counts of fraud.. Gillum allegedly used and raised funds illegally back when he was mayor of Tallahassee and a candidate for governor. Gillum alone was also charged with making false statements to the FBI.
In court, Gillum pleaded not guilty His wrists and ankles were cuffed and he wore a chain around his waist. Nevertheless, he wore a navy suit and tie. After his release, Gillum did not comment to reporters waiting outside.
In 2018, he was 32,000 votes close to being Florida’s first black governor. Two years later, police found him in a Miami hotel room with another man, possibly suffering from a drug overdose. Gillum entered rehab to seek alcohol treatment, and later, he came out bisexual in an interview featuring his wife.
A federal investigation for Gillum’s financial activity started in 2015 with FBI agents posing as developers. Mr. Gillum socialized with the agents in New York in 2018, including a boat trip to the Statue of Liberty and watching “Hamilton.” He did not reveal these actions required by state law and paid a $5000 ethics fine the year later.
The grand jury filed 21 count charges against Gillum on June 7. Sharon Lettman-Hicks, who was 53, was also charged since she was a secret associate of Gillum since college. According to the indictment, she used her communications company to disguise fraudulent payments to Mr. Gillum. Ms. Lettman-Hicks pleaded not guilty, and she declined to comment.
The indictment covered events involving Gillum and Lettman-Hicks from 2016 to 2019. Gillum and associates solicited campaign contributions from undercover agents. To keep agents’ names private, they promised to take donations in other ways, including through Ms. Lettman-Hicks’ Communications company. They were pledged to “unencumbered government contracts” in exchange, according to an unnamed associate.
“Make no mistake that this case is not legal, it is political,” Gillum said. “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.”
In court, Gillum pleaded not guilty His wrists and ankles were cuffed and he wore a chain around his waist. Nevertheless, he wore a navy suit and tie. After his release, Gillum did not comment to reporters waiting outside.
In 2018, he was 32,000 votes close to being Florida’s first black governor. Two years later, police found him in a Miami hotel room with another man, possibly suffering from a drug overdose. Gillum entered rehab to seek alcohol treatment, and later, he came out bisexual in an interview featuring his wife.
A federal investigation for Gillum’s financial activity started in 2015 with FBI agents posing as developers. Mr. Gillum socialized with the agents in New York in 2018, including a boat trip to the Statue of Liberty and watching “Hamilton.” He did not reveal these actions required by state law and paid a $5000 ethics fine the year later.
The grand jury filed 21 count charges against Gillum on June 7. Sharon Lettman-Hicks, who was 53, was also charged since she was a secret associate of Gillum since college. According to the indictment, she used her communications company to disguise fraudulent payments to Mr. Gillum. Ms. Lettman-Hicks pleaded not guilty, and she declined to comment.
The indictment covered events involving Gillum and Lettman-Hicks from 2016 to 2019. Gillum and associates solicited campaign contributions from undercover agents. To keep agents’ names private, they promised to take donations in other ways, including through Ms. Lettman-Hicks’ Communications company. They were pledged to “unencumbered government contracts” in exchange, according to an unnamed associate.
“Make no mistake that this case is not legal, it is political,” Gillum said. “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.”
