The Brief
- Former Florida state Rep. Carolina Amesty has been charged on two counts of stealing government property.
- Amesty is accused of misusing more than $100,000 in COVID-19 relief funds during the pandemic.
- Each count has a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, officials said.
ORLANDO, Fla. – Carolina Amesty, a former Florida state lawmaker, appeared in federal court on Tuesday in downtown Orlando. She was charged earlier this month with allegedly embezzling or stealing more than $100,000 in COVID-19 relief funds in 2020, according to the Department of Justice.
What is Carolina Amesty accused of?
The backstory:
In January, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Hanberg charged Carolina Amesty with two counts of theft of government property related to COVID-19 funds via the C.A.R.E.S. Act, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the complaint, Amesty or her relatives submitted 15 Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration for various businesses and organizations – and received more than $500,000 in funds. In those applications, Amesty had to include gross revenues for the previous 12 months and the number of employees.…