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Black America To Merrick Garland And Biden DOJ: Gillum Committed Wire Fraud 19 Times And Trump Zero?

Black America To Merrick Garland And Biden DOJ: Gillum Committed Wire Fraud 19 Times And Trump Zero?

Gillum

Photos: Florida gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum, Oct. 29, 2018 in Fort Lauderdale. (mpi04/MediaPunch /IPX) / Federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland at the White House, March 16, 2016. (AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) / Donald Trump, Nov. 26, 2018, in Biloxi. (AP/Alex Brandon)

Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum was once a rising star in politics and the first-ever Black nominee for governor in Florida history. He narrowly lost the race to Ron DeSantis in the 2018 midterm elections and has recently been indicted on wire fraud charges.

On June 22, Gillum was indicted on 19 counts of wire fraud and two additional counts of false statements to the FBI. He and close political ally Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks were indicted on conspiracy charges, wire fraud, and making false statements. He has pleaded not guilty. A trial date was set for Aug. 16.

The unsealed grand jury indictment alleges Gillum and Lettman-Hicks took part in a years-long scheme to turn political donations and grant funds into personal income. 

According to court papers, Gillum and Lettman-Hicks allegedly steered a $250,000 campaign contribution into a separate 501(c)4 organization “managed by an acquaintance whom Gillum and Lettman-Hicks could control,” CNN reported.

Lettman-Hicks is the CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition, an LGBTQ advocacy group, and is a candidate for state representative.

Gillum was also charged with lying to the FBI during an investigation into Tallahassee City Hall corruption when Gillum served as mayor. Gillum, 42, is accused of promising political favors to those who financially supported him.

The maximum prison term for each wire fraud and conspiracy charge is 20 years.

Black America is wondering if Gillum can be indicted, how come former President Donald Trump has yet to be indicted for any of the various crimes for which e is being investigated. There are at least three crimes Trump may have committed due to his association with the Jan. 6 Capital Hill riots. They include obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and seditious conspiracy.

Yet U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice have failed to indict Trump.

One of the crimes Trump could face is wire fraud — the same thing Gillum was charged with. There is evidence that Trump raised money under the false pretenses of election fraud. He raised $250 million to support his so-called “Official Election Defense Fund,” the Washington Post reported.

The U.S. House Select Committee hearings about the Jan. 6 riots have presented witness after witness, including Trump’s own family members and close allies, giving damaging testimony that suggests Trump committed a crime by inciting violence under the false pretenses of election fraud.

“I see the @DOJ has charged Andrew Gillum. When will Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Dan Scavino, and other clear folks who engaged in treason, fraud, and sedition, be charged? Or is #MerrickGarland’s inaction affirmation of disparate ‘justice’ in Black and white?” asked Bishop Talbert Swan on Twitter. Swan is a prelate of the Church of God in Christ serving as the bishop of the Nova Scotia Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction in Canada.

“If you indict Gillum for this BS wire fraud and mail fraud then Trump has to be next right?!?” tweeted political commentator Bakari T. Sellers, who served in the South Carolina House of Representatives for the 90th District from 2006 to 2014.

Legal experts say it’s unlikely that Trump will be charged with fraud in connection with his campaign’s misleading emails, Business Insider reported. 

In March 2020, police responded to a possible overdose call and said they found Gillum in a Miami hotel room with a baggie of crystal meth and a collapsed companion. Gillum later entered rehab. He also said that he identifies as bisexual.

Photos: Florida gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum attends a grassroots campaign event at the African American Research Library, Oct. 29, 2018 in Fort Lauderdale. (mpi04/MediaPunch /IPX) / Federal appeals court judge Merrick Garland is introduced by Joe Biden as Barack Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court at the White House, March 16, 2016. (AP/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) / Donald Trump attends a rally at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Nov. 26, 2018, in Biloxi. (AP/Alex Brandon)