The former lawmaker pleads guilty in the case

A Florida State Representative who allegedly swindled thousands of dollars in coronavirus loans from the Small Business Administration charged with wire fraud and money laundering

Federal prosecutors announced charges Wednesday against a Florida state representative who allegedly swindled thousands of dollars in coronavirus relief loans from the Small Business Administration.

Prosecutors previously said Harding listed dormant business entities on his applications, fabricated the numbers of people he employed and submitted fake bank statements.

A wire fraud conviction carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, while money laundering and making false statements carry a maximum of 10 and five years, respectively.

He said in a statement to The New York Times that he had pleaded not guilty. I repaid the loan and cooperated with investigators as requested, and I want my public and my voters to know that, as well.

The Florida Republican has drawn the national spotlight before, as a sponsor of the controversial legislation that banned certain instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in the classroom that opponents dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The legislation was officially called the ‘Parental Rights in Education’ law, which set off a national uproar and drew backlash from the LGBTQ community.

Billions of dollars of relief funds have been obtained using fabricated, stolen or fake information according to investigators. The Justice Department’s Covid-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force has brought several high-profile fraud cases across the country.

The Department of Justice said that a former Florida lawmaker pleaded guilty Tuesday to fraud, money laundering and making false statements.

“Measurements on a Structural Paradox”, Rev. A. O’Connor, M. C. R. D. Macaulay, E. L. Coxeter, J. G.

The statement from O’Connor said that the best decision available to him was to protect his family and his future.