A chief of staff for former Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., pleaded guilty for his role in a college scholarship fraud scheme, implicating the congresswoman in the plot.
Elias "Ronnie" Simmons, 51, of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty on Feb. 8 to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, in addition to a count of theft of government property.
As part of a plea deal, Simmons admitted to U.S. Magistrate Judge James R. Klindt of the Middle District of Florida that he and Brown solicited more than $800,000 in donations for the One Door for Education – Amy Anderson Scholarship Fund, which was to be used for college scholarships but instead went to their personal use.
Simmons detailed how Brown used her position to solicit donations from individuals and corporations by falsely making them think the charity was a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. The former chief of staff testified that "tens of thousands of dollars" in donations ended up as cash deposits in Brown's personal bank accounts.
The congresswoman also allegedly used $200,000 of the funds to pay for a litany of events, "including a golf tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; lavish receptions during an annual conference in Washington, D.C.; the use of a luxury box during a Beyoncé concert in Washington, D.C.; and the use of a luxury box during an NFL game between the Washington Redskins and the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Washington, D.C. area."
In one instance, Simmons said that Brown used an employee’s outside consulting company to funnel One Door funds back to Brown for personal use.
Out of the more than $800,000 raised by One Door, Simmons said only $1,200 went toward two college scholarships awarded.
The former chief of staff also admitted using his position to get a close relative a congressional job from 2001 to 2016, despite the relative performing no known work for the House of Representatives. Simmons also said that out of the $735,000 in salary the relative collected in 15 years, he diverted $80,000 of it to his personal account, also using the money to pay credit card and boat loan payments.
Simmons’ sentencing has yet to be scheduled. Former One Door president Carla Wiley previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy on March 3, 2016, and will be sentenced on June 12.
Brown, who lost her seat to in a 2016 primary to former State Sen. Al Lawson, will go on trial on April 24.
