Andrew Gillum, a former Democratic candidate for governor of Florida who narrowly lost to Republican Ron DeSantis in 2018, was cleared on Thursday of lying to the FBI in a corruption case that also concerned the improper use of campaign funds.
However, the federal jury was deadlocked over allegations that Gillum diverted tens of thousands of dollars from his campaign to personal accounts.
Authorities declared that they would retry him on those charges. After abandoning his $120,000-a-year job with the People for the American Way organization to run for governor, they alleged that Gillum had financial difficulties.
Gillum was cleared of lying to undercover FBI agents who pretended to be developers and paid for a 2016 trip to New York that included hotel rooms, dinners, and a taxi.
Gillum praised his wife, family, attorneys, and pastor outside the courthouse for their support but also made fun of the prosecution.
“They’ve tried to take everything away from us practically. And our system’s beauty is that the authorities don’t always get to make the call. “Regular folks like you and I occasionally get a chance to swing at the ball,” he remarked.
As he walked away from a group of news reporters, Gillum responded “sleep” when asked what would happen next.
If found guilty, Gillum could have received a lengthy jail term; however, based on federal sentencing standards, he would have probably received far less than the maximum.
Co-defendant Sharon Lettman-Hicks, a public relations professional and consultant to Gillum, had the jury deadlocked. In addition, they claimed they would retry her.
When Gillum, 43, a former mayor of Tallahassee, challenged DeSantis in 2018, he aimed to become Florida’s first Black governor. DeSantis defeated Gillum by fewer than 34,000 votes, which led to an automatic recount.
JOIN US ON WHAT'SAPP, TO GET INSTANT STATUS UPDATES AND BE IN THE KNOW.
CLICK HERE
