JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Former Jacksonville City Council members Katrina Brown and Reginald Brown, no relation, were in federal court Wednesday for day one of jury selection. The two are scheduled to stand trial next week.
Katrina Brown and Reginald Brown were indicted in May of 2018 by a grand jury on conspiracy, mail and wire fraud. Together, both Browns face 38 counts.
The first day did have a highlight -- defendant Katrina Brown was late by nearly an hour.
As many people walked near Adams and Hogan Streets throughout the morning on their way to work, 65 potential jurors were questioned inside the federal courthouse off Hogan Street about what they knew about the case.
The charges are tied to Katrina Brown’s family barbecue sauce business.
According to the indictment, Katrina Brown received around $2.6 million in a loan from the U.S Small Business Administration and half a million dollars in grants and loans from the city. Loans and grants for the creation of a manufacturing plant with the promise of 56 jobs.
Reginald Brown and Katrina Brown allegedly conspired to submit false invoices from two companies to a lender but withdrew money for personal use.
At the end of day one, 12 people were removed from serving as a juror, most citing they’ve formed a bias against the defendants from previous discussions or media coverage.
First Coast News caught up with both Reginald Brown and Katrina Brown during their lunch breaks and both deferred to comment.
Katrina Brown, who has chosen to represent herself, did not give a reason why she was late by nearly an hour.