Andrew Gillum, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate who narrowly lost to Ron DeSantis for Florida governor in 2018, was indicted Wednesday over allegations of wire fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to the FBI.
The 21-count indictment is against Gillum, a former Tallahassee mayor, and his mentor, Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks.
"The Indictment alleges that between 2016 and 2019, defendants Gillum and Lettman-Hicks 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," a Justice Department statement said. "The Indictment further alleges the defendants used third parties to divert a portion of those funds to a company owned by Lettman-Hicks, who then fraudulently provided the funds, disguised as payroll payments, to Gillum for his personal use. Both defendants are charged with 19 counts of wire fraud. Gillum is also charged with making false statements to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Andrew Gillum’s federal indictment.
— Marina Medvin ???? (@MarinaMedvin) June 22, 2022
21 counts. 26 pages.
Alleges lying, cheating, stealing.https://t.co/PR4NVZauUR pic.twitter.com/09VmrPq2Sb
Gillum denied the allegations, saying the last 20 years of his life have been devoted to public service and fighting for everyday Floridians.
“Every campaign I’ve run has been done with integrity," he said in a statement, reports NBC. "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 innocence now.”
Gillum was also in the spotlight in 2020, when the married father of three was found inebriated in a Miami Beach hotel room with two other men and bags of suspected crystal meth. He said he fell into a depression after losing to DeSantis and was abusing alcohol.