JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — "Guilty." It's a word longtime Congresswoman Corrine Brown swore she would never utter. But the veteran lawmaker pleaded guilty to a single felony Wednesday, bringing an end to her years long federal corruption case.
In a calm, clear voice, Brown told the court she had read, “Every single page and every word” of the plea deal and had "No questions.”
She then pleaded guilty to one count of corruptly interfering with administration of internal revenue laws.
Before pronouncing sentence, District Judge Timothy Corrigan said that Brown "unfortunately succumbed to a greed and entitlement mentality," saying, "she consistently underreported her income and claimed substantial charitable deductions to which she was not entitled." He added that she "helped write the tax laws she expected others to follow, but which she decided did not apply to her."
Speaking after court, Brown said she took the plea deal because she wanted to get the case over with. "I wanted to put it behind me and move forward," she said. "So many people, you know -- I got calls yesterday from Orlando, Gainesville, Tallahassee -- people were concerned about me going through the process and they wanted it over. So it's over."
Brown was facing retrial in September after her conviction on 18 of 22 fraud and corruption charges was overturned on appeal last May. The deal means prosecutors will toss the other 21 counts contained in the 2016 indictment. Brown agreed to pay an additional $62,000 to the IRS on top of what she has already forfeited, for a total in excess of $93,000.
Brown was sentenced to time served, which Judge Corrigan said totaled two years, eight months and nine days, including a period she spent under house arrest.
A jury convicted Brown in 2017 of a slew of charges related to what prosecutors said was a sham charity Brown used as a personal slush fund. That conviction was reversed in May 2021 by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, which said Judge Corrigan improperly removed a juror who said he was being guided by “The Holy Ghost” during deliberations.
Brown was sentenced to five years in prison. She served a little over two before being released in April 2020 due to her age, COVID and unnamed health concerns. After a few months under house arrest, she was released altogether.
