March 22 (UPI) — A former Florida state Republican lawmaker recognized for sponsoring the so-called Do not Say Homosexual invoice has pleaded responsible to defrauding the federal authorities of tens of 1000’s of COVID-19 reduction funds.
Joseph Harding, the 35-year-old former state Home consultant for Florida’s District 24, pleaded responsible Tuesday to at least one depend every of wire fraud, cash laundering and making false statements, the Justice Division said.
A sentencing listening to has been scheduled for 11 a.m. on July 25 when Harding faces a most sentence of 20 years for the wire fraud cost, 10 years for the cash laundering depend and 5 years for making false statements.
Harding’s legal professional, Peg O’Connor, instructed CNN in a statement that her shopper “made the most effective determination out there to him beneath the circumstances to guard his household and his future.”
Harding resigned in December after being indicted by a federal grand jury on six counts stemming from a scheme he carried out to defraud the Small Enterprise Administration.
Prosecutors mentioned the scheme concerned him utilizing his dormant companies to file false paperwork to the SBA’s COVID-19 Financial Harm Catastrophe program, which was created to assist small companies survive the pandemic.
Courtroom paperwork state that by way of this motion, he obtained $150,000.
After receiving the funds, prosecutors mentioned he transferred the cash to a joint checking account and to a third-party enterprise in addition to used it to pay his credit score automotive, prosecutors mentioned, including that every transaction was for greater than $10,000.
Harding gained nationwide consideration early final 12 months after sponsoring Home Invoice 1557, The Parental Rights In Training Act, which restricted what LGBTQ info academics may focus on with their college students at school.