Former Florida state Rep. Joseph Harding (R), a lead sponsor of the controversial so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, has pled guilty to numerous charges for his involvement in a COVID-19 relief fraud scheme.
In a Department of Justice (DOJ) news release, authorities said that Harding, a one-term representative, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements in connection with COVID-19 relief fraud.
According to court documents, his scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) — including making false claims to obtain coronavirus-related loans and committing wire fraud — garnered him $150,000 in COVID-19 relief funds and more than $30,000 in other fraudulent monetary transactions.
For SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) applications, he used the names of dormant business entities to apply, the court documents revealed.
Harding was indicted on two counts of wire fraud, two counts of money laundering by transferring the allegedly stolen funds and two counts of making false statements to the SBA last year.
Harding faced up to 35 years in prison based on the combination of maximum sentences he has on his numerous charges, according to the DOJ news release. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 25.
The disgraced Florida lawmaker was also the lead sponsor of the Parental Rights in Education bill, often referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by critics. The prohibits state kindergarten through third-grade educators from instructing students about sexual orientation or gender identity and gives parents the ability to sue school districts who violate the measure.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the bill into law last year.
READ NEXT: Massachusetts Supreme Court Validates Our Most Sacred Right
Another example of why more government is BAD. These huge “programs” are ripe for and with fraud. More than $1.200T, yes $1,200,000,000,000.00 was paid out fraudulently in 2020-2022 in response to the “pandemic”.
Curious why the DoJ targeted this particular individual when there are much bigger fraudsters right out in the open…
Why put a picture of the governor and not of the person who committed the felonies? What are you trying to say?
What is the author talking about? There was no bill called “don’t say gay”? That was a lie pushed by people like the author of this article! The bill was to keep the perverts from grooming child as young as kindergarten kids. So they could turn the children into sex objects for there own perverted purposes! The bill didn’t have a damn thing to do with homosexuals!