Federal prosecutors requested a choose Monday to dismiss the remaining corruption prices in opposition to Andrew Gillum, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor in 2018, after a jury deadlocked on all however one rely following a trial earlier this month.
Prosecutors had stated they supposed to retry Gillum after the trial concluded on Could 4, however reversed course in a one-paragraph movement that additionally seeks dismissal of the case in opposition to his co-defendant, Sharon Lettman-Hicks.
Jurors acquitted Gillum of mendacity to the FBI however couldn’t attain a verdict on greater than a dozen fraud and conspiracy prices contending Gillum and Lettman-Hicks diverted tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in marketing campaign contributions for his private use.
Gillum’s protection group, led by Miami legal professional David O. Markus, stated in an e mail that he can now “resume his life and public service.”
“Andrew Gillum had the braveness to face up and say ‘I’m harmless.’ And that’s lastly being acknowledged. We wish to thank the onerous working jury who did their job and defined to the federal government why it ought to drop the case,” the assertion stated.
U.S. District Decide Allen Winsor, who presided over the trial, didn’t instantly rule Monday on the movement however usually judges give deference to prosecutorial discretion. There was no remark from the U.S. legal professional’s workplace past the court docket submitting.
Gillum, 43, is a former Tallahassee mayor who sought to turn into the primary Black governor in Florida historical past when he ran in 2018. He misplaced to Republican Ron DeSantis by lower than 34,000 votes, which triggered an automated recount.
Prosecutors had claimed Gillum dedicated fraud as a result of he was struggling financially after quitting his $120,000-a-year job with the progressive Individuals for the American Means group when he determined to run for governor. Lettman-Hicks, a longtime political adviser to Gillum and former govt with the group, was accused of conspiring with Gillum to divert the contributions to his private accounts. Jurors additionally deadlocked on these counts.
The jury discovered Gillum not responsible of prices that he lied about his interactions with undercover FBI brokers posing as builders who paid for a 2016 journey he and his brother took to New York, which included a ticket to the hit Broadway present “Hamilton.” Gillum contended his brother supplied the ticket.
Gillum’s attorneys had argued that the indictment was politically motivated, however Winsor refused final 12 months to dismiss the case, ruling that Gillum and Lettman-Hicks needed to be tried collectively as a result of their actions have been so carefully intertwined.
