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Former Congresswoman Found Guilty of Using Scholarship Fund for Personal Gain

By Andrew Ujifusa — May 11, 2017 1 min read
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A former Democratic member of Congress has been found guilty of crimes related to an organization that claimed to provide scholarship money for needy students.

The Associated Press reported Thursday that ex-Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida was found guilty on 18 of the 22 counts against her, including lying on tax and financial disclosure forms. At the center of the case was the One Door for Education Foundation, which purportedly provided the scholarships. But in fact, prosecutors said that Brown used One Door for Education to fund “lavish parties, trips and shopping excursions.”

Brown, who served in Congress from 1993 up until this year, pled not guilty to the charges. One Door for Education’s former director, Carla Wiley, pled guilty last year to charges related to the probe into the group. Her former chief of staff also pled guilty to charges and testified against Brown in court, the AP said. The organizations’ director also said that Brown directed him to withdraw money from One Door’s accounts and direct it into her personal accounts. The trial began last month.

We wrote about Brown back in 2000, when she led a protest against former Gov. Jeb Bush’s plan to end affirmative action.

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