The House of Representatives announced Tuesday a committee has been established to investigate Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida’s 5th congressional district, for several allegations of misconduct.
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The committee’s release mentions allegations that she “engaged in improper conduct relating to certain outside organizations”, including allegedly seeking charitable donations and campaign funds that she used for personal reasons.
The Department of Justice has asked that the committee defer consideration of the case which the committee agreed to do.
Federal prosecutors said despite presenting One Door as an education charity since its launch in 2011, Wiley never obtained tax-exempt status or filed state or federal tax returns, while soliciting about $800,000 in donations. Earlier in the year, the Florida Times-Union reported on the group’s questionable pratices while noting that Brown has steered tens of thousands of dollars to the group.
WESH 2 Investigates uncovered a flier advertising the “Corrine Brown Invitational Golf Tournament” hosted that same month, at the same location, sponsored by “One Door For Education”. Wiley’s plea agreement said that numerous donors wrote checks to One Door in connection with the gold tournament but that the money did not go to the charities named in the solicitation. Congresswoman Brown appears in three pictures on the homepage.
Brown was served with a federal subpoena in January and is under investigation by the FBI for her role with a nonprofit based in Jacksonville, Fla., according to local media reports. The subcommittee took no action, but its findings criticized Brown. “Some of those were made in her honor, others came from people who also donated to her campaign”, Hong told First Coast News.
The subcommittee would be chaired by Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), with Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) as the ranking Democrat.
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But after 23 years in office, backers expect Brown to be ready for a fight that could define her career.
