Florida Republican who sponsored ‘Don’t Say Gay’ indicted on Covid relief fraud charges – POLITICO
Harding told the SBA that The Vak Shack had $420,874 in revenue for the 12 months prior to Jan. 31, 2020, and four employees, while Harding Farms had $392,000 in revenue and two employees.
In a statement released Wednesday night, Harding said he has pleaded not guilty.
“I want the public and my constituents to know that I fully repaid the loan and cooperated with investigators as requested.”
The grand jury formally indicted Harding on Tuesday. He had a preliminary hearing on that day and was released on bond. The government did not request that he remain in custody.
He is charged with two counts of wire fraud, two counts of engaging in monetary transactions because he transferred the loan money to two separate bank accounts and two counts of making false statements to the SBA. He faces a maximum of 35 years in prison.
Harding, who represents parts of Marion County, was first elected to the Florida House in 2020. He is best known as being the House sponsor for legislation that banned discussion of gender identity or sexual orientation in classrooms up until third grade. The bill, which opponents branded the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, sparked protests and got national attention.
Shortly after the indictment was unsealed, Florida House Speaker Paul Renner removed Harding from his committee assignments, which included a spot on the House Judiciary Committee.
“After consultation with Representative Harding regarding his indictment, I am temporarily removing him from his committee assignments to allow him time to focus on this matter,” Renner said. “In America, we adhere to the rule of law, and as such, Representative Harding is presumed innocent and will have the opportunity to plead his case before a court.”
The investigation was jointly conducted by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service’s criminal division, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s inspector general, and the SBA’s inspector general.
Trial is scheduled for Jan. 11 in Gainesville.