State Rep. Carolina Amesty turned herself in at the Orange County Jail Thursday after being indicted on forgery and three other felony counts.
She was released later in the day, according to the Orange County Inmate Database. Bail had been set at $20,000.
The State Attorney's Office alleges 29-year-old Amesty, of Windermere, knowingly notarized a document with a forged signature. That was in 2021 when she was an administrator at the nonprofit Central Christian University, an Orlando-area school run by her family.
All four charges in Wednesday’s indictment -- which are third degree felonies -- involve misuse of her notary commission.
The underlying incident was uncovered by reporters at the Orlando Sentinel.
In a news release, State Attorney Andrew Bain said his office asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the case and then presented that evidence to a grand jury.
Amesty, a Republican, represents District 45, which includes parts of Orange and Osceola counties. She is running for reelection this year against Democrat Leonard Spencer of Gotha.
An attempt to reach Amesty by phone Thursday afternoon was unsuccessful.
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