Florida state Rep. Joseph B. Harding (R), known for sponsoring legislation that regulates classroom talk about sexual orientation and gender identity, was indicted for allegedly trying to illicitly obtain over $150,000 in federal pandemic relief funds.
Florida state Rep. Joseph B. Harding , 35, was accused of making fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration using the names of dormant business entities, prosecutors said. Harding is also accused of submitting “fraudulently created bank statements” in the applications,. He faces a six-count indictment of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements.
Prosecutors said Harding falsified the number of employees and gross revenue for the two entities, the Vak Shack and Harding Farms. “Further, Harding falsely represented that these business entities were active businesses during 2019 and 2020 when in fact they were not,” the indictment said.The Vak Shack had no employees and zero revenue in the 12 months leading up to Jan. 31, 2020 — the date officials marked as the day the coronavirus pandemic began.
Harding Farms, likewise, had no employees and zero revenue in the 12 months leading up to Jan. 31, 2020, prosecutors said. But Harding said in his application that the entity had two workers and had earned $392,000, prosecutors said. In January and February 2021, he made illegal bank transfers of $30,000 and $15,000, respectively, prosecutors added.
A trial is scheduled for Jan. 11, authorities said. The maximum prison terms for wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements are 20 years, 10 years and five years, respectively. Harding could not immediately be reached for comment early Thursday. He has said he fully repaid the loan and cooperated with investigators, Politico
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