Global Courant 2023-04-20 14:34:01
The Democrat who once ran against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is on trial for allegedly pocketing campaign money, illegally receiving gifts, including theater tickets to “Hamilton,” and lying to FBI officials.
Andrew Gillum, who served as mayor of Tallahassee before becoming the Democratic nominee for Florida governor in 2018, was on trial Tuesday in a federal court in Tallahassee when prosecutors alleged he committed several crimes while running for governor.
Assistant US Attorney Gary Milligan said in opening statements that Gillum still had a large mortgage, paid for two expensive cars and paid for private school tuition for his children when he quit his six-figure job to run. He was having a hard time affording his lifestyle at the time, so he used campaign finance to fund his personal life, Milligan argued.
“This case is not about politics,” Milligan said. “This case is about defrauding donors (and) stealing from his own campaign.”
FORMER GUBERNATORY CANDIDATE OF FLORIDA ANDREW GILLUM SUED FOR CONSPIRACY, WIRE FRAUD COSTS
Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum addresses the audience at an event on March 20, 2019 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)
At Tuesday’s trial, Milligan said the alleged corruption began when Gillum’s campaign team contacted undercover FBI agent Mike Miller, posing as a developer scouting projects in Florida’s capital seeking campaign donations.
The agent then made several donations that the campaign then funneled through a position at P&P Communications, a public relations firm owned by one of Gillum’s supporters, Milligan claimed. The prosecutor also claimed that Gillum was not doing any real work for the agency.
Gillum used his brother Marcus to arrange the illegal contributions, the prosecution alleged.
Defense attorney Margot Moss disputed this, saying Gillum’s position at P&P Communications was legitimate and Gillum’s brother’s involvement does not mean he is guilty.
DESANTIS SAYS ANHEUSER-BUSCH IS TOO AWAKE, LOST HIM AS A CUSTOMER: “WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DRINK BUD LIGHT?”
Moss argued that Marcus Gillum acted alone in soliciting donations for Gillum’s campaign. This was done to support and impress his brother, Moss said.
“Marcus says crazy things, Marcus says incredible things. But he’s not Andrew Gillum,” Moss said. Marcus just talks. That’s why they went to Marcus Gillum.’
Moss also argued that the agency’s owner, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, who is also a co-defendant in the trial, knew that Gillum was a rising political star and was legitimately trying to use his fame to increase the company’s sales.
Andrew Gillum, Democratic nominee for governor of Florida, speaks at a news conference in Tallahassee, Florida, November 10, 2018. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)
Also at the center of the charges against Gillum are alleged lies he told the FBI about a trip to New York where undercover FBI agents met Gilllum, his brother Marcus and lobbyist Adam Corey.
Milligan said the undercover agents showered him with gifts, including paid hotel rooms, theater tickets to “Hamilton,” meals and a boat ride through New York Harbor.
REP. LEE ENDORSES DESANTIS, HAS CAPITOL HILL SUPPORTERS TO 3 WHILE TRUMP HAS THE SUPPORT OF OVER 50 LAWMAKER
An agent involved in the New York trip testified that Gillum was not initially a target of the investigation, but that the FBI became aware of possible corruption when it investigated developer JT Burnette and then-City Commissioner Scott Maddox.
Last year, Maddox pleaded guilty to corruption charges and Burnette was convicted of bribery, racketeering and other charges.
“The FBI found corruption,” Moss admitted, “but not Andrew Gillum.”
Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum holds a news conference on Nov. 10, 2018, in Tallahassee, Florida. (Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)
Gillum faces 17 counts of wire fraud and a wire fraud conspiracy, each carrying a maximum of 20 years behind bars. The single charge of lying to the FBI carries a maximum sentence of five years.
The former mayor of Tallahassee upset a competitive Democratic primary field and nearly won the general election from DeSantis. A recount was necessary before DeSantis was declared the victor.
Gillum’s problems went beyond the alleged charges, as Gillum was found in 2020 in a Miami Beach hotel room with someone who had apparently overdosed on drugs.
Police said Gillum was too drunk to talk about what happened when they arrived at the scene. While no one was ever charged with any crime related to the incident, Gillum retreated from public life for months.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He also sought treatment for alcohol abuse and depression.
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, an appointee of President Donald Trump, is presiding over the case in Tallahassee federal court.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
