Page 11 - Florida Sentinel 6-24-22

State
Andrew Gillum, Indicted For Wire Fraud And False Statements
Andrew Gillum, the former Democratic star who lost to Ron DeSantis, was charged with a 21- count federal indictment early Wednesday for wire fraud, related conspiracy charges and making false statements.
Gillum’s mentor, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, was also charged. The charges are for fraudulently fundraising from "various entities" between 2016 to 2019, according to the Department of Justice. The Jus- tice Department stated the two al- legedly diverted some of the money to a company controlled by Lettman-Hicks, who fraudulently disguised the funds as payroll pay- ments to Gillum.
In a written statement, Gillum
and his lawyers proclaimed his inno- cence. Lettman-Hicks, currently a candidate for the State House seat, has not returned texts or calls from NBC News requesting comment.
“I have spent the last 20 years of my life in public service and con- tinue to fight for the people,” Gillum said. “Every campaign I’ve run has been done with integrity. Make no mistake that this case is not legal, it is political. Throughout my career I have always stood up for the people of Florida and have spoken truth to power. There’s been a target on my back ever since I was the mayor of Tallahassee. They found nothing then, and I have full confidence that my legal team will prove my inno- cence now.”
Marc Elias, a leading Demo- cratic lawyer, and top criminal de- fense attorney David Oscar Markus also issued a joint state- ment said they’ll fight to clear his name.
The indictment marks a further fall from grace for Gillum, a married father of three who withdrew from public life as a political leader and a paid CNN commentator after a March 2020 sex scandal involving a suspected male overdose victim in a South Beach hotel. Gillum said he was abusing alcohol as he coped with his loss to DeSantis, but cam- paign finance records and a leaked criminal subpoena in 2019 showed that Gillum also faced the pressure of an FBI investigation.
ANDREW GILLUM
FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY PAGE 11-A