JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown took to her blog to address her supporters and detractors in response to a 24-count federal indictment.
Brown, 69, of Jacksonville, and her chief of staff, Elias “Ronnie” Simmons, 50, were charged last week with participating in a conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, multiple counts of mail and wire fraud, concealing material facts on required financial disclosure forms, theft of government property, obstruction of the due administration of internal revenue laws and filing false tax returns, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Both pleaded not guilty to the charges Friday in federal court.
Brown likened her situation to the recent police shooting deaths of two black men in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and St. Paul, Minnesota, and the deaths of five Dallas police officers during a protest march Thursday night.
“Last week was very rough,” Brown wrote. “Two black men were needlessly gunned down by police; five Dallas police officers were slain by a demented man; and on Friday I had to appear in federal court.”
Calling the indictment “very scary,” Brown said her “spirit remains unbroken.”
“My conscience is clear because I’m innocent,” she wrote. “I’m not the first black elected official to be persecuted, and, sad to say, I won’t be the last.”
She asked her constituents to keep an open mind.
“An indictment is an accusation. Anybody can make an accusation,” Brown wrote. “You’ve heard the prosecutor’s side, but you still have not heard the rest of the story.”
Brown and Simmons are accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars meant for a nonprofit organization and using it for their own personal and professional benefit, said Richard Weber, chief of IRS criminal investigations.
Former federal prosecutor Brian Phillips read through the indictment and spoke with Channel 9.
“Could they be facing charges?” reporter Daralene Jones asked.
“Absolutely, or they could be cooperating and therefore avoiding charges,” said Phillips.
Alexander allegedly accepted a $10,000 donation in September 2004 that was intended for One Door for Education, and it was deposited into her business account.
Investigators said Alexander withdrew the money and deposited cash that was split between personal accounts that belong to Rep. Brown and a person mentioned as “person b,” who sources confirm is Shantrel Brown.
Investigators said they outlined several similar transactions between 2012 and 2014, including once while Brown and her daughter vacationed in L.A.
“My prediction of the deal is that the daughter gets a walk in exchange for the lead defendant taking some sort of deal, and that way you can say, ‘I did it to spare my family,’” said Phillips.
Phillips also believes Brown will fight to blame the scheme on everyone else involved, with the claim that she trusted them.
More than $200,000 in One Door funds went to pay for events hosted by Brown in her honor, including a golf tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, receptions at an annual conference in Washington, D.C., and luxury boxes for a concert and an NFL game in Washington, D.C., investigators said.
Despite the donations given to One Door for Education, only two scholarships totaling $1,200 went to students, investigators said.
Despite her ongoing legal issues, Brown vowed to continue working in Washington.
“Despite all the heartache my family and I have experienced, I want you to know that I’m still in the fight to provide the representation you deserve in Washington,” she wrote.
If convicted on the 24 counts listed in the federal indictment, Brown could face more than 300 years in prison.
The U.S. House Committee on Ethics is also investigating Brown.
The federal trial is scheduled for September.
Cox Media Group
