Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum was found not guilty for lying to the FBI about a 2016 trip to New York where undercover agents purchased tickets for the Mayor and his associates to see the play Hamilton.
Gillum and his longtime associate Sharon Lettman-Hicks were also charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud over allegations they steered money meant for campaign contributions for Gillum's personal use.
The fraud charges stem from three alleged schemes to defraud campaign donors and grantors out of approximately $242,000 that was transferred to Lettman-Hicks' firm P&P Communications. Most of the funds were paid out to Gillum in the form of salary payments from P&P.
Prosecutors argue Lettman-Hicks and Gillum agreed to defraud donors and then acted together to carry out the fraud, knowing that the money would be paid to Gillum. They say his motive was to recover the roughly $120,000 salary that he lost when he left his job at People for the American Way to campaign for governor.
During closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Milligan told jurors that Gillum was "unable to generate those funds" while he was spending all day, every day campaigning for governor and "other sources had to be found."
Gillum was hired by P&P Communications in February 2017, soon after he resigned from his position at PFAW and declared his candidacy for governor.
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