Corrine Brown announces candidacy for Florida’s 10th Congressional District

JACKSONVILLE — Corrine Brown is running for Congress again.

The former U.S. Rep. was in Tallahassee Thursday where she reportedly filed petition papers declaring her candidacy for the 10th Congressional District of Florida.

The 10th District is currently an open seat as incumbent U.S. Rep. Val Demings is running for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Marco Rubio.

This comes just over a month after Brown agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice on federal fraud and corruption charges.

The former congresswoman was facing a retrial this fall on 18 of 22 fraud and corruption charges after the conviction was overturned on appeal in May 2021.

Then in a deal with the federal government, Brown pleaded guilty to one count of corruptly interfering with administration of internal revenue laws in May 2022, avoiding another lengthy trial.

In exchange, the government will dismiss all remaining pending counts and Brown will be sentenced to 32 months which she already served. Brown will also owe restitution to the IRS, totaling more than $62,000.

According to the plea agreement, Brown admitted to over-reporting her charitable giving by inflating total gifts to charitable organizations and non-profit entities including Edward Waters College (now University), the Community Rehabilitation Center and One Door for Education.

As she left the federal courthouse following the plea proceedings, Brown told reporters that she was appreciative of the support she received, and said she wanted the process to be over.

“We’re moving forward. So many people in the community have told me that they’re missing voices, and they want someone to, it’s been a silence”, Brown said.

Brown was a Rep for Florida’s 3rd District 1993–2013. After decennial redistricting in 2012, Brown’s district was renumbered as the 5th district.

According to FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, the Constitution allows a convicted felon to be a member of Congress, even if in prison; however, the House and Senate can vote to expel any member that colleagues deem unfit or unqualified to serve.

The Constitution requires that members of the House and Senate fulfill three requirements:

• All members of the House must be at least 25 years old, and members of the Senate must be at least 30 years old.
• Members of the House must have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and members of the Senate must have been a U.S. citizen for at least nine years.
• They have to be an “inhabitant” of the state “when elected.”

As a result, according to the Congressional Research Service, committing a crime cannot constitutionally disqualify someone from serving in Congress.

This is a developing story.

RELATED STORY: Former Congresswoman Corrine Brown agrees to plea deal in fraud case

RELATED STORY: Corrine Brown pleads guilty to tax fraud, won’t serve additional prison time

FROM MAY, 2021: Close friend reflects on Corrine Brown's time in prison

©2022 Cox Media Group