Gainesville - A former Florida lawmaker, who promoted controversial legislation named “Don’t Say Gay,” has been found guilty of being involved in the money laundering of COVID-19 relief funds and making false statements.
According to the Department of Justice, an ex-Florida state representative, Joseph Harding has pleaded guilty to committing financial fraud, laundering money, and making false statements for the COVID-19 relief funds. This humiliating act made him imprisoned for up to 35 years.
Harding was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2020 till his resignation in 2022. He has been charged with obtaining COVID relief fund loans from small businesses in 2020.
As per this case, this 35-year-old accused submitted two applications to shell companies for the COVID relief fund loans, i.e. Harding Farms and Vak Shack.
In one of the applications, Harding requested an Economic Injury Disaster Loan that the two companies have had over half a dozen employees and gross revenue of more than $800,000 from the prior year.
Yet, according to the accusation, these companies had no employees and were suspended for several months before these applications were submitted.
Press Release by the Department of Justice - Issued on March 21, 2023, Tuesday.
Thus, according to the Department of Justice, Harding applied for loans of $150,000. And hence after receiving these funds, he was still working in the office. He has made three illegal monetary transactions, each more than $10,000.
The former Florida state lawmaker transferred this laundered money to his joint bank account into a third-party business account and made payment through credit card bills.
The case of Harding’s imprisonment is scheduled for July 25, 2023, at 11 AM at the United States Courthouse in Gainesville, Florida. He encountered a sentence of up to 35 years for wiring fraud, committing money laundering, and making false statements.