US grand jury indicts former Tallahassee mayor and Florida gubernatorial candidate on wire fraud charges News
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US grand jury indicts former Tallahassee mayor and Florida gubernatorial candidate on wire fraud charges

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) Wednesday announced that a grand jury indicted former Tallahassee mayor and Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Demetric Gillum and the Board Chair and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks on 21 charges, including making false statements to federal officials and wire fraud.

The indictment alleges between 2016 and 2019, the defendants “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.” Further, the defendants utilized “third parties to divert a portion of those funds to a company” Lettman-Hicks owned. Letterman-Hicks then allegedly “fraudulently provided the funds, disguised as payroll payments, to Gillum for his personal use.”

While both Gillum and Lettman-Hicks are charged with 19 wire fraud counts related to their “on-going and evolving scheme to defraud[,]” only Gillum is charged with making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents.

Both defendants’ initial appearances are scheduled for June 22, 2022 in Tallahassee, Florida. 

 

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