Hotair
Remember Andrew Gillum? As Democrats’ gubernatorial nominee in the 2018 Florida election, he barely lost to Ron DeSantis despite predictions of victory. Gillum conceded, unconceded, and then finally conceded during a recount, and then hinted at a run for the Democratic presidential nomination.
That was before Gillum got caught up in a crystal-meth overdose scandal, but after he had already been fingered for a federal fraud probe. Well, the shoe finally dropped on that scandal this morning, as Gillum surrendered to the feds as they indicted him for 21 counts of illegal activity connected to his campaign:
Andrew Gillum, the once-rising Florida Democratic star who narrowly lost his 2018 gubernatorial race against Ron DeSantis, has told associates that he expects to be indicted in federal court as early as today for alleged fraud tied to his campaign, NBC News has learned.
The exact charges are unclear and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida would neither confirm nor deny details about the criminal case against Gillum. In a written statement to NBC News, Gillum acknowledged the case but said it is politically motivated without offering specifics. …
Two sources with whom Gillum spoke Tuesday told NBC News that he began phoning friends frantically about the criminal case. Neither would speak on the record because they weren’t authorized to speak on his behalf. They said he is scheduled to meet with prosecutors at 10 a.m. and that his indictment could be unsealed at 1 p.m. ET.
“He’s down. He’s sad. He feels beat up,” one of the sources said.
That source said Gillum was called Tuesday morning and informed he was going to be criminally charged for campaign finance-related charges.
Local ABC affiliate WTXL reports that the indictment alleges a broad pattern of fraud. Gillum allegedly used campaign contributions to personally enrich himself while running against DeSantis:
A federal grand jury has returned a twenty-one count indictment against Andrew Demetric Gillum, 42, and Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks, 53, both of Tallahassee, Florida. The indictment was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
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 could face twenty years for the wire fraud charges and five for lying to investigators. Presumably, though, he’d be looking at a smaller sentence as a first-time offender, but that would still put him behind bars for a significant time…
