Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to drop all remaining corruption charges against Andrew Gillum — the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial nominee who narrowly lost to Florida’s Ron DeSantis.
Earlier this month, a jury acquitted the former Tallahassee mayor of lying to the FBI about gifts he had received from undercover agents in New York. However, they could not reach a verdict on more than a dozen other counts, including conspiracy and wire fraud. The Justice Department filed a motion Monday to dismiss the remaining charges against Gillum and his co-defendant and longtime political advisor, Sharon Lettman-Hicks.
Initially, prosecutors alleged that in 2018 that Gillum and Lettman-Hicks diverted tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions for personal use. The federal indictment also accused the two of illegally soliciting campaign contributions between 2016 and 2019 and promising political favors in exchange for support.
“Andrew Gillum had the courage to stand up and say I am innocent. And that is finally being recognized,” his defense attorneys David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss and Katie Miller said in a statement. “We want to thank the hard-working jury who did their job and explained to the government why it should drop the case. Andrew has endured a lot over the past few years and now can resume his life and public service.”
Following the news of the motion to dismiss, Gillum shared a screenshot of court documents on Twitter, captioned “But God…”
Gullim, 43, was once seen as a promising figure within the Democratic Party. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, he came remarkably close to defeating Ron DeSantis, falling short by only 34,000 votes. This narrow margin of difference led to an automatic recount according to the state’s laws.
Following his close defeat, Gillum had intentions to utilize his influential status to assist Democrats in his home state, particularly by focusing on voter registration initiatives. However, he withdrew himself from politics and public life after in 2020 he was discovered in a Miami Beach hotel room with an individual who had reportedly overdosed on drugs. Police reported that Gullim was too intoxicated to provide any information about what had occurred, and days later, photos had emerged of him lying in his own vomit.
While no one was ultimately charged with any wrongdoing related to the incident, Gillum chose to remove himself from the limelight while seeking treatment for alcohol abuse and depression.
