A.G. Gancarski
On Wednesday, motions filed by former U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown for a new trial and acquittal were denied, setting the stage for a November sentencing.
Brown’s motion for a new trial was predicated on a claim that a discharged juror was incorrectly removed.
Judge Timothy Corrigan rejected that premise: “Corrine Brown is entitled to a fair trial with an impartial jury that reaches a verdict in accordance with the law. That is what she received.”
“Dismissing a deliberating juror is not done cavalierly. Quite the opposite. I dismissed Juror No. 13 only after finding beyond a reasonable doubt that there was no substantial possibility he could base his decision on the Court’s instructions and the evidence adduced at trial,” Corrigan wrote in a 27 page response that focused much energy on explaining that dismissal of the juror was not “done cavalierly” and accorded with case law.
“I determined beyond a reasonable doubt that there was no substantial possibility that he could base his decision on the sufficiency of the evidence and the Court’s instructions,” Corrigan added.
Regarding the acquittal motion, Corrigan said that “Suffice it to say there was more than sufficient evidence to justify the jury’s verdict on each count of conviction.”
Brown’s contention was that she was careless with her finances, leaving herself open for exploitation by her former co-defendant and chief of staff.
Corrigan noted in his 8-page response that ” bank records, tax returns, and other documents related to Brown’s
finances, as well as testimony from Brown’s accountant, members of her staff, and persons associated with various non-profit organizations Brown claimed to have supported with charitable donations, all of which went toward proving the fraudulent conduct charged in the indictment.”
Moreover, Brown’s assertion that she was not part of a conspiracy to defraud fell as flat in the motion as it did in court, with bank records and testimony from co-conspirators and the Feds delineating her involvement at the center of the conspiracy.
Sentencing awaits Brown and her former co-conspirator, Ronnie Simmons.
Simmons will be sentenced Nov. 15, after pleading guilty to two counts; Brown, a day later on Nov. 16.
