Saying “the evidence in this case is overwhelming,” federal prosecutor Michael Coolican told jurors in the federal corruption trial of Katrina and Reggie Brown their “deliberations should be easy.”
Whether that will be the case is now up to the 12-member jury.
In closing arguments, prosecutor Tysen Duva called Katrina Brown “the queen of the fake invoice” and said she and Reginald Brown were literal “partners in crime.”
“It’s a disgrace is what it is,” Duva said.
Both Katrina and Reggie Brown (no relation) are accused of misusing nearly $2.5 million in government funds from loans and grants.
Prosecutor Coolican ran through the prosecution’s evidence, which he said proved the pair conspired to submit fake invoices to the government because “Katrina Brown’s business was tanking.”
“She was running out of options," Coolican said. "Rather than doing the honorable thing, she partnered up with Reginald Brown and resorted to fraud.”
He noted that Basic Products, Katrina Brown’s family barbecue sauce business, made most of its money not from the sale of sauce but from money Reggie Brown funneled to them through shell companies.
“Their number one source of revenue is not barbecue sauce -- it’s fraud,” Coolican said.
Coolican called Katrina Brown’s father Jerome Brown “a likable gentleman … obviously great at making barbecue sauce,” but called some of his testimony “a straight-up lie.”
“He’s got a good heart," Coolican said. "He loves his family, but he was not going to say anything that was going to hurt Katrina Brown’s case.”
In her closing argument, Katrina Brown challenged the prosecutor’s claim that she profited from the government loans and grants. “Where is the money?” she challenged jurors. “They can’t show you houses or cars or any lavish trips that the defendant has taken.”
She called the government’s case “an illusion.”
She suggested that if the government really believed she personally profited from the government grants and loans, they would have charged her with tax evasion for failing to disclose that income. “I don’t believe the government is doing her a favor,” Katrina Brown said, referring to herself in the third person as instructed by the judge.
She dismissed other evidence in the case as the result of mistakes, including federal tax returns that the IRS testified it never received.
“Maybe it was a misunderstanding,” she said. “Everyone in this court knows that everyone makes mistakes, even the government. Nobody’s perfect, nobody’s 100 percent accurate on everything.”
Katrina Brown pointed out one particular transaction in which prosecutors say she submitted fraudulent receipts for furniture. She argued furniture was purchased, but regardless of what was bought, she said, all the money received went back to the lender, Biz Capital.
“What was the benefit?" Katrina Brown asked. "She never took a dime because she wanted to make the business work.”
Reggie Brown’s attorney, Thomas Bell, for his part said his client was an unwitting participant in Katrina Brown’s fraud.
“There is reasonable doubt that he knowingly, willfully conspired with Katrina Brown.” He said. “The only lawful verdict in this case is not guilty.”
Jurors must now review and vote on each of the 38 counts. Though there is no way of knowing how long that will take, few court observers expect a verdict Tuesday.
Despite the fact Katrina Brown chose to represent herself, the trial did not take longer than originally predicted by prosecutors. Before the jury was brought in, U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard took a moment to praise Katrina Brown’s performance.
“It is eminently clear that Ms. Brown knows every bit of the evidence,” she said. “She knows her pace and she knows her arguments. And though not familiar with court proceedings and although the court has had to give her a little bit of assistance and protocol, she has shown that she is quite able to represent herself – and frankly has done so quite commendably.”
Katrina Brown is being indicted on 37 counts:
- Count 1 - attempt and conspiracy to commit mail fraud
- Count 2 to 14 - fraud and swindles
- Count 15 to 27 - fraud by wire, radio, or television
- Count 28 to 33 - engaging in monetary transactions
- Count 34 to 35 - attempt and conspiracy to commit mail fraud
- Count 36 to 37 - loan and credit applications generally
Reginald Brown has been indicted on 34 counts:
- Count 1 - attempt and conspiracy to commit mail fraud
- Count 2 to 14 - frauds and swindles
- Count 15 to 27 - fraud by wire, radio or television
- Count 28 to 33 - engaging in monetary transactions
- Count 38 - willful failure to file return/information etc.
RELATED: DAY 4: FBI agents talk bank withdrawals, deposits in case against Katrina Brown, Reginald Brown
