Former Florida Rep. Corrine Brown gets 5-year prison sentence in fraud case

[mfcorey1]

http://wsvn.com/news/local/former-florida-rep-corrine-brown-gets-5-year-prison-sentence-in-fraud-case/


JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, once a powerful Florida Democrat, was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for fraud and other crimes related to a purported charity for poor students that she used as a personal slush fund.

Brown, 71, listened stoically in a Jacksonville courtroom as U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Corrigan read her sentence. She was ordered to turn herself in to prison authorities in January. Her attorney said she plans to appeal the sentence.

Brown, who in 1992 became one of the first three African-Americans elected to Congress from Florida since Reconstruction, was convicted by a federal jury in May on 18 of the 22 charges against her, which included fraud and lying on her tax returns and congressional financial disclosures.

Corrigan alluded to Brown’s long history of public service before handing down the sentence, which could have been as long as nine years. The judge also cited her history of overcoming obstacles as a black woman in the South as she built a trailblazing career.

However, Corrigan said Brown succumbed to “entitlement and greed” in siphoning money from the One Door for Education Foundation for personal use. Prosecutors said the pattern of fraud by Brown and her top aide included using hundreds of thousands of dollars from the foundation for lavish parties, trips and shopping excursions.

“It is a sad day for everyone. It is a sad day for this community,” Corrigan said. “I was impressed with all the outpouring of support for you and it’s a tribute to you and the work you’ve done … and that makes it more tragic and sad.”

[gratuitous]

1. It's terrible to loot money from a non-profit

People who do that *should* go to prison, even if they get elected to high office. So should people who defraud Medicare.