God and the grift: Corrine Brown’s last hustle

Corrine Brown

Corrine Brown is promoting a series of fundraisers to defray legal expenses, including a concert at Bethel Baptist Church billed as “Praise with a Purpose.”

The Aug. 6 event: less than 24 hours before a hearing on motions to acquit and for a new trial on her 18 felony convictions related to assorted types of fraud involving a non-performing educational charity for which she fundraised and from which she got paid over the course of three years.

In what was a sycophantic interview with the host referring to Brown as the “people’s champ,” the former congresswoman managed to promote a concert and paint herself as a martyr of sorts, one whose legal travails are just happenstance, rather than the result of being the center of a sustained and prolonged conspiracy to defraud.

“Everywhere I go, people come up and tell me they are praying for me,” Brown said. “God wanted me to go through this to have us be more prayerful.”

“This white gentleman came up to me and told me ‘Corrine, we’re praying for you in Georgia.”

Prayers help, but they likely won’t solve Brown’s problems.

“This is a tough time for me because of the lawyers and bringing on another lawyer — maybe one or two — so I really need the community to financially support me,” Brown pleaded.

The host chimed in at that point: “That’s right.”

“There are 4,200 seats — I want every seat taken. We have $25 tickets, $50 tickets, $100 tickets,” Brown added.

The host went on to say that “the judge messed up” the trial, to which Brown exclaimed “that’s right!”

“The judge is hearing two motions — a motion for a new trial and a motion for acquittal,” Brown replied.

She clapped her hands together.

“That’s what I’m praying for.”

As the half hour wrapped, Brown talked about young people seeing her on the street and wanting to take a picture with her, saying they’d seen her on TV.

“You want to be on TV for the right thing,” Brown said.

Brown added that at least one busload of supporters is coming to Jacksonville’s federal courthouse for her doubleheader hearing on Aug. 7, urging those interested in supporting her to show up before the 3:00 p.m state.

Celebrities, such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, may also be in attendance — schedules permitting, of course.

In other happy news, Brown added that the Corrine Brown Regional Transportation Center in Gainesville will not be renamed, despite the best efforts of the pernicious “media,” as the public clamored to keep the public building named after someone convicted on 18 felony fraud counts.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has written for FloridaPolitics.com since 2014. He is based in Northeast Florida. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


27 comments

  • victor peel

    July 28, 2017 at 1:23 pm

    How can a person rip off the public so much and still get away with it why isn’t she in jail where she belongs

    • pastor green

      July 29, 2017 at 8:24 am

      we all need a second chance we all done wrong kick her off the board and be done with it but don’t send her to jail or prisonpas

    • pastor green

      July 29, 2017 at 8:29 am

      I don’t agree some of us not in prison not because we did not do wrong but we just did not get caught we all need a second chance.kick her off the board and be done with it but no jail or prison frfr.she done a lot of good too and she to old to go to prison or jail.

      • Javier

        July 30, 2017 at 7:37 pm

        That’s like saying that Lucifer shouldn’t go to hell because he was once the morning star.

    • Holly Church

      July 29, 2017 at 4:10 pm

      Your right she abuse her position and should be in jail for her rest of her life

    • JVB

      July 29, 2017 at 5:01 pm

      Because she is Black and Female. She is an embarssement to the state of Florida for butchering the English language. And fleecing so many for so long.

      • Coley

        July 30, 2017 at 11:30 am

        Look up Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill. She’s another one who’s been there forever but has had a lot of issues as of the past few years.

  • Harold Finch

    July 28, 2017 at 3:39 pm

    The sad part is, the black community does not care if she is guilty, she’s one of them and they will probably raise some money for the crazy bitch! How utterly stupid!

  • Scott McPherson

    July 28, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    Dang, that’s the Clean-Up Woman Herself, Betty Wright (of TK Records/Miami Sound fame)! Interesting they brought her in for a Corrine Brown event! Clean-Up indeed!

  • Ken

    July 28, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    Perhaps I have too many Irish, English, German and American Indian ancestors to understand Corrine’s activities, but I thought being a follower of Christ’s teachings required a dual citizenship. Meaning a soul who followed the Laws of their heavenly Father as well as the laws of the land. Remember Christ once said, Render to Ceasar that which is Ceasar’s and to God what is God’s. Perhaps Corrine is above the law.

  • Katrina

    July 28, 2017 at 10:19 pm

    This is pathetic! Why would there be a special event to raise money for this woman who stole so much in the first place? Backwards society!!
    She’s been using and abusing people’s donations for so long, why stop now stupid people. Just keep giving to her….. Color over rules crime I guess and money talks.

  • Steve Durgin

    July 29, 2017 at 12:06 am

    When someone of any race or gender recieves too much government financial assistance for too long, they get the attitude of being owed more and more. There should be a prerequisite for holding any public office that requires that individual to successfully run a business for profit, a minimum of 5 years.

    • Chriss

      July 29, 2017 at 6:27 am

      And to at least be able to SPEAK if they are going to represent an office…. Even in the absence of all of this, she has been an embarrassment to this city.

    • Georgette

      July 29, 2017 at 6:43 am

      And to at least be able to SPEAK if they are going to represent an office…. Even in the absence of all of this, she has been an embarrassment to this city.

    • Coley

      July 30, 2017 at 1:32 am

      But this goes beyond that. Setting up a scholarship ‘charity’ and then spending all the money donated on lavish parties, vacations and shopping sprees. She wasn’t smart enough to even hide it!

  • Tim

    July 29, 2017 at 5:33 am

    The clean up woman is their to clean out their wallets. What’s that old saying? Don’t follow the masses because the “M” might be silent.

  • GCI

    July 29, 2017 at 6:37 am

    Really?? Acquittal?? And to quote her… “the judge made a mistake”…. And lets talk about your trusted and dedicated assistant…that you love as your own… I’m pretty sure you broke record time throughing him to the wolves, so to speak, when you ignorantly thought that could possibly help you. Been meaning to as you…how was that Beyonce concert???

  • Terry L Darty

    July 29, 2017 at 6:45 am

    Well they say a stupid person is born every minute. And the city to let her roam around the city and raise money to pay for her lawers. The judge should be fired. To let this circus go on like that. 18 counts of fraud u would be in jail . but its a black woman that stoled money from people but that’s OK she Corrine brown. Any body u would be in jail. If I was the judge u stay in jail till the hearing. And u can’t raises money to pay for your lawyers. It will come out of your bank account and other adventures you have. Stupid people giving her money. And knowing she is a crook just like obumer. And Hillary lot if demos on the take. It shows u demos steal from the people all the time . wake up jacksonville

  • James M. Ray

    July 29, 2017 at 8:07 am

    In Florida, we like our criminals BLATANT. In both halves of the duopoly party!!

  • Lee Metcalf

    July 29, 2017 at 9:02 am

    Praise for a purpose, think about it, you have to pay to praise God ? I think not , she is still using the same tried excuse ” It’s because I am black” new flash sweety, the law don’t care what color you are, what you are saying is ” if I wasn’t black I would have no defense . You just got caught and have to pay, one way or another you brother this on yourself ” You reap what you sew” the road to forgiveness is first own the sin, admit you did it freely and ask for forgiveness. Trying to get people wrapped up in your scheme is not the answer, there is no safety in numbers

  • Kathryn Hayes

    July 29, 2017 at 9:53 am

    Mrs. Btown should not be allowed to conduct fund raisers while out on bond. She needs to pay restitution to the program she embezzled funds from and repay taxes on the money she took from One Door Educational Program. No fund raising for your attorney’s fees!!

  • Kathryn Hayes

    July 29, 2017 at 10:04 am

    Mrs. Brown is out on bond. She should not be permitted to organize and conduct public fundraising to pay attorney fees. The money she collects should be used as restitution to repay investors she stole from to establish and maintain One Door Program she embezzled from to use for personal gain.

  • Bkhuna

    July 29, 2017 at 3:09 pm

    I wonder what part of town the “Go Gayta” bus stop is located.

  • Voncile

    July 29, 2017 at 9:17 pm

    I hope Corrine Brown gets to see these comments. I want her to know she has zero support among clear thinking voters in her home city and State, something I’ve wanted her to know for YEARS now!! Using some words Obama’s favorite preacher said once…. ‘Me thinks Corrine’s chickens…have come home to ROOST!!

  • Bill

    July 29, 2017 at 9:20 pm

    Eerily similar to a megachurch service.

  • Coley

    July 30, 2017 at 1:40 am

    She’s probably out on bail using money she siphoned out of the ‘scholarship charity’ she set up. She wasn’t even intelligent enough to attempt to hide her thievery. Her and her cohorts spent lavishly on parties, vacations and shopping. And then the nerve of her to return to places of worship asking for money. Not Christian like at all.

  • L. Blackburn

    August 8, 2017 at 11:48 am

    I knew she would not go out without bringing a major storm to Jacksonville. She is stiring up racial tension in this town and doing more damage to her own community setting it back decades. She is a criminal and has always been an embarrassment to Jax. If you have ever had the displeasure of meeting her you know she is also a loud mouth bully, who uses agression and intimidation to steamroll her way around giving an intelligent answer when asked questions in public debates with other candidates, in interviews when questioned about politics that she doesn’t have the answers too. I have waited decades to see this woman go down, but now she is so old and so pathetic that I don’t really want to see her in jail. I just want her to go away and let the folks who think she does so much for them find a good person to replace her. Someone who deserves their support, someone literate and educated who can represent them with some dignity. I am flabbergasted that the Rev. Jesse Jackson can be here to stand beside her. How can he not see how much damage she continues to do because she is a sociopath who truly believes she can do whatever she wants and NO ONE will stop her.

Comments are closed.


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