Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum was found not guilty of lying to the FBI in a corruption case involving illegal campaign contributions.
Gillum, 43, has been cleared of accusations of lying to undercover FBI agents “posing as developers who paid for a 2016 trip he took with his brother to New York, including hotel rooms, meals, a boat tour, and a ticket to the hit Broadway show Hamilton
, the Associated Press reported.“They have quite literally tried to take everything from us,” Gillum said outside the courthouse.” And the beauty is in our system the powers that be don’t always get to decide. Everyday people like you and me sometimes get our swing at the ball,” he said.
Gillum acknowledged his family, wife, legal team, and pastor for their support during the case.
“Today, justice was partly served, when too often it is not, a statement read on Gillum’s Instagram page. “Although Mayor Gillum is innocent, the jury remained deadlocked on several other charges brought against him. This could leave the door open for more corrupt proceedings to take place in the future.”
“Despite false allegations and corrupt investigations, Mayor Gillum never acted nefariously as an elected official, candidate for governor, or at all—despite millions of dollars in law enforcement resources attempting to entrap him,” the statement continued.
The former Florida Democratic candidate for governor was facing a long prison sentence if the federal jury had found him guilty.
As previously reported by BLACK ENTERPRISE, Gillum was charged with wire fraud
, related conspiracy charges, and making false statements, along with his mentor, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, who allegedly disguised funds as payroll payments to the politician.Prosecutors said Gillum would be retried on charges that Gillum funneled tens of thousands of dollars in campaign money to personal accounts, along with Lettman-Hicks.
Gillum lost the 2018 gubernatorial election against Gov. Ron DeSantis, vying to be the first African American to hold the Florida seat.