ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The head of a charity with ties to Rep. Corrine Brown has accepted a plea deal Friday as part of a federal investigation.
9 Investigates has been looking into the federal investigation involving Brown for weeks.
The charity, One Door for Education, has been at the center of a federal probe into how it spent its money.
Investigators said the founder, Carla Wiley, used donations for personal use, like luxury boxes at a concert, an NFL game and more than $100,000 for personal cash withdrawals.
Document: Carla Wiley plea deal
Brown has been associated with the group for years, using her name and title to help with fundraising.
Invitations to a golf tournament, inauguration festivities and receptions in connection to One Door were hosted by Corrine Brown.
Emails show her staff was involved in planning or at least aware of the happenings.
“The thing that jumped out at me was the large volume of use of the congressional seal on what looks like non-official congressional correspondence,” said former federal prosecutor Brian Phillips.
According to court records, One Door described itself as “charitable and educational,” providing scholarships to students. Federal investigators maintain the group was never a registered charity or tax exempt.
The federal plea agreement spells out cash deposits and withdrawals by a leader of One Door for Education, but it doesn’t name Brown.
However, federal investigators identify a person in the documents as a “public official” and “a person who works for that public official.”
According to the plea agreement the same public official received $150,000 from One Door for Education for costs associated with events, including money for a cake and alcoholic beverages.
Also, in documents, the public official was implicated in raising $800,000, paying out only one scholarship for $1,000, and then withdrawing $290,000 for personal expenses.
So far, Brown’s office has not responded to our requests for comment.