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5 Years in Prison for Ex-Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Who Once Represented Flagler

December 4, 2017 | FlaglerLive | 24 Comments

Corrine Brown in a 2010 photo at NASA. (NASA)
Corrine Brown in a 2010 photo at NASA. (NASA)

Describing the fraud as “shameless,” a federal judge Monday sentenced former Democratic Congresswoman Corrine Brown to five years in prison for her role in a scam that involved using charitable contributions for personal expenses and events.


The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Judge Timothy Corrigan, came after Brown was convicted in May on 18 felony counts. Corrigan also sentenced to prison Brown’s longtime chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, and a woman who started the purported charity, Carla Wiley.

In a 25-page sentencing order, Corrigan said the One Door for Education charity, which was originally established to help children, was “operated as a criminal enterprise” by Brown, Simmons and Wiley. He detailed how the charity raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, which forensic accountants said was siphoned off in cash withdrawals and used for such things as sky box seats at an NFL game and a luxury box at a Beyonce concert.

“These defendants systematically looted One Door funds which otherwise would have been available to help deserving children,” Corrigan said in the sentencing order. “Just think of the good that could have been done with that money if it had been used for its proper purpose.”

The Florida Times-Union reported that Brown, who served 24 years in Congress until losing a re-election bid last year, will report to prison no earlier than Jan. 8. The Times-Union also reported that Brown’s attorney, James Smith, said she will appeal the sentence.

The sentencing was a final step in the downfall of Brown, 71, long an influential figure in Jacksonville politics and the city’s African-American community. The 12-term congresswoman, whose district stretched from Jacksonville to Orlando, was also a master of constituent services, using “Corrine Delivers” as a slogan to tout her ability to bring home projects and services.

In a sentencing memo filed last month, Brown’s attorney said she had been one of the “greatest soldiers” in the civil-rights movement. Smith requested that she receive probation and community service, rather than a prison sentence.

“Corrine Brown’s life from this point forward will be extremely difficult,” Smith wrote. “She will never hold public offense again. The stigma of her federal convictions will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for her to find productive and gainful employment. There is simply no reasonable basis to believe that she will ever commit another crime.”

In his order Monday, Corrigan said that he “seriously” considered the request for probation and community service, “but a sentence of probation for a member of Congress convicted of 18 counts involving mail, wire, and tax fraud would not be sufficient.”

Corrigan said Brown, one of the first black members of Congress from Florida since Reconstruction, was a “trailblazer who also has lifted up others.”

“But, having overcome all hurdles and risen to high office, Ms. Brown unfortunately succumbed to greed and an entitlement mentality,” Corrigan said.

The judge also sentenced Simmons to four years in prison and Wiley to 21 months. He said Wiley started the One Door for Education charity in 2011 to establish scholarships for students who were interested in becoming teachers, like Wiley’s mother.

“The defendants’ fraud was particularly shameless because it utilized a charity established to honor Ms. Wiley’s mother that was supposed to help disadvantaged children,” he said in the sentencing order. “Yet precious little of the hundreds of thousands of dollars donated to One Door was used for this purpose. Rather, One Door funds were primarily used to line the pockets of Ms. Wiley, Mr. Simmons and Ms. Brown or to fund events that mainly benefitted Ms. Brown, but did not help children.”

–Jim Saunders, News Service of Florida

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. sad says

    December 4, 2017 at 7:33 pm

    5yrs what a joke scammed 800,000 and only one 1200 scholarship handed out.

    Reply
  2. Anonymous says

    December 4, 2017 at 8:13 pm

    Mouth of the South………..See ya.

    Reply
  3. Linze says

    December 4, 2017 at 9:46 pm

    What a scam that’s all she got , but what do you expect,she is a democrat
    We are lucky she got any time

    Reply
  4. ASF says

    December 4, 2017 at 10:17 pm

    No one is above the law. No one. (except maybe Trump who, by the defintion set forth by his lawyers, can’t obstruct justice no matter what he say or does.)

    Reply
  5. Flatsflyer says

    December 5, 2017 at 3:31 am

    Trump’s Foundation does the same things and he gets to be President, white privilege?

    Reply
  6. palmcoaster says

    December 5, 2017 at 6:22 am

    How could these public officials be soo greedy?
    She made good pay as a Congresswoman and would have a great retirement secured as well… Why to risk is all by stealing from donated children funds?
    And we are getting from bad to worse in our current POTUS finances without tax disclosures and not for just $800,000 but for millions and millions: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-emoluments_us_58409e01e4b017f37fe3c0ca
    Lets hope that justice will be serve for all not just for Democrats.

    Reply
  7. gmath55 says

    December 5, 2017 at 8:57 am

    Corrine Brown? It should be Con Brown.Just like crooked Hillary. Two peas in a pod.

    Is Hillary and her foundation above the law?

    Reply
  8. Anonymous says

    December 5, 2017 at 9:10 am

    I’m waiting…….there is no doubt she is going to claim she was discriminated against or profiled because she is black.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    December 5, 2017 at 9:11 am

    Since you can’t take your belongings into jail, does that mean she will have to take off the wig?

    Reply
  10. Rick Kang says

    December 5, 2017 at 9:22 am

    The SWAMP now has one less Greedy CROOK! A life lesson to other SWAMP CROOKS ( Be Good or Go to JAIL)!

    Reply
  11. Heading North says

    December 5, 2017 at 9:39 am

    She finally got a small dose of what she deserved! Good riddance!

    Reply
  12. Just the truth says

    December 5, 2017 at 10:28 am

    Sounds like Trump University.

    Reply
  13. Freddy says

    December 5, 2017 at 11:00 am

    I say jail all crooked politicians from both parties and see how much is left in the senate and congress. Do not exclude the current president and past presidents.

    Reply
  14. bob says

    December 5, 2017 at 11:02 am

    Lock her ass up! I don’t care who she is or what shes done. No special treatment! She screwed over a bunch of needy kids for her own gain so screw her

    Reply
  15. flagler1 says

    December 5, 2017 at 11:36 am

    Guess she won’t be flying on Air Force One any time soon. A crook of the highest degree.

    Reply
  16. Mark says

    December 5, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    I wonder how much money the clinton crime syndicate has skimmed off their foundation?

    Reply
  17. r&r says

    December 5, 2017 at 12:09 pm

    I wonder how long this was going on before she was caught? Another Clinton wanna be.

    Reply
  18. woody says

    December 5, 2017 at 1:58 pm

    She would have been a grain of sand on the beach compared to the Clinton’s crookedness.

    Reply
  19. tulip says

    December 5, 2017 at 3:12 pm

    She will still receive her hefty pension, so being unemployed when she gets out will not be a problem. It makes one wonder how much money is actuallt siphoned off other charitable organizations.

    Reply
  20. fredrick says

    December 5, 2017 at 3:32 pm

    When I heard she was found guilty and given prison time I smiled. When she actually gets put in jail I will laugh. This is why we need outsiders elected to both parties. Replace them all….

    Reply
  21. palmcoaster says

    December 5, 2017 at 6:33 pm

    Include current POTUS!

    Reply
  22. mark101 says

    December 5, 2017 at 7:23 pm

    Justice has been served

    Reply
  23. Really says

    December 6, 2017 at 4:43 am

    Good riddance to an old guard crook

    Reply
  24. GT says

    December 11, 2017 at 7:53 am

    It’s about time they put one of these crooks in jail. There seems to be a lot of things that are similar in this case and Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation maybe we should look at Hillary and Bill!

    Reply
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