Corrine Brown represents the citizens of U.S. House District 5, which currently includes much of Apopka.
Brown pleaded not guilty on Friday to 24 federal counts of conspiracy and fraud. Brown and her chief of staff, Elias “Ronnie” Simmons were indicted for charges related to a fraudulent education charity based in Virginia that was shut down in March.
Both are charged 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 the internal revenue laws, and filing false tax returns.
According to the indictment, Corrine Brown used money from her campaign to give to the charity, One Door for Education and, at times, deposited some of that money into her own personal bank account.
Brown and Simmons both entered a not guilty plea. A trial date was set for Sept. 6.
If convicted on all charges, Brown could be sentenced up to 357 years in prison and fined $4.8 million. Simmons could face up to 355 years in prison and $4.75 million in fines.
Prosecutors claim Brown, Simmons and One Door's president, Carla Wiley, used money donated to the charity to buy plane tickets, repair their personal cars and to pay for luxury vacations in the Bahamas, Los Angeles and Miami Beach. The indictment said more than $200,000 from the charity was used to pay for Brown to host a golf tournament at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, to pay for lavish receptions, a luxury box at a Beyonce concert and a box when the Jacksonville Jaguars played the Washington Redskins.
