Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and campaign advisor Sharon Lettman-Hicks are set to face a federal trial in less than two weeks. Gillum and Hicks face charges of wire fraud and both will stand trial April 17th. The two are accused of funneling money donated to Gillum’s political campaign for his personal use, and Gillum faces an additional charge of lying to the FBI.
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Read Andrew Gillum Indictment
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Recent reports have indicated a superseding indictment may be filed. However, it is unclear whether any new indictment would include additional charges.
Ahead of the trial, attorneys on both sides have been seeking to limit what the jury can hear.
The jury was set to hear six recordings of Gillum taken by undercover FBI agents. Gillum’s defense team is asking the judge to bar the jury from hearing the recordings. They argue that five of the recordings do not feature Gillum at all. Gillum is present at the Edison restaurant for the sixth recording but leaves after an hour and 22 minutes. Gillum’s attorneys claim prosecutors are using the recordings as a way to spread a false image.
Gillum’s attorneys are also asking the judge to bar the jury from seeing any evidence of his April 2019 Florida Ethics Commission settlement. Gillum agreed to pay a $5,000 civil fine in that settlement. His attorneys argued that the settlement is irrelevant.
Federal prosecutors have also filed several motions within recent weeks.
U.S. Attorney Jason Cody is asking the judge to bar the jury from hearing any of Gillum’s claims of selective prosecution and a nearly five-year delay in charging him with a crime. Prosecutors argue that the evidence irrelevant and will divert the jury’s attention away from unimportant matters.
Gillum and Hicks were charged as part of the FBI’s long-running corruption probe (Operation Capital Currency) which targeted prominent local politicians. Previously, Mayor and City Commissioner Scott Maddox, his aide, Paige Carter-Smith and business man John Burnette were all convicted earlier and sentenced to federal prison.
Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum Set to Stand Trial added by Staff on
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People, please stop making your own judgments about this case. It’s going to trial for a reason: to learn the truth about what happened. How dare you think you know more than prosecutors and defense attorneys in this case? How about letting it play out before you comment? There are likely plenty of facts about which we, the general public, know nothing at this point. Why can’t you wait to hear them before spewing out your opinions?
And to think how close we came…
Another misguided George Sorrows pawn reaping what they sow.
Wait a minute. I thought being prosecuted for Fraud was Deep State, UNCONSTITUTIONAL and things that only Marxists did to Patriots?
Gillum should get at least twice what Scott received since he was higher up on the Political Food Chain.
Florida has become a cesspool of bigotry and corruption with most of the politicians being far worse then Gillum.
This strongly feels of a political attack as an affront to the gop for running against them.
Who goes 5 years before going to court jury/trial when the accused is confirmed to have committed crime(s) with evidence in all. Only in Tallahassee when the accused is being protected by the powers at be. In my personal opinion, he is a poor excuse of a pillar of the community and should be sentenced to the maximum penalty under law. ?
Finally after what seems like foot-draging forever the leftist controlled law enforcement FBI reluctantly brings this next chapter of the still ongoing Tallahassee corruption trial to court.
Of note: its not going before Judge Hinkle and I dont know what changed in Hinkle but at his last trial he seemed to take a step or two back from his historical modus oppreandi of rubber stamping all things leftist.
Going forward with this “Not-Hinkle” Judge I still expect Gillum will get the “most frustrating to justice loving American’s” weak prosicution along with the “most annoying to justice loving Americans” weak and inappropriate mild and insignaficant slap on the wrist punishment if any punishment at all is handed down from the Federal Judge at all. So let the show trial begin.
Oh well let it play out and I will save my 8itching about this fake trial being a monumental waste of Federal Taxpayer dollars for a later Snidely installment.
Gillum lost his moral compass…to say, the least.