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Rep. Corrine Brown, a Democratic congresswoman currently facing a bevy of corruption charges, claimed Monday that she is being persecuted by malicious prosecutors and likened her ordeal to the murder of police in Dallas.
Brown was indicted last week on a host of fraud charges that could send her to prison for years. She is accused of helping create a bogus charity, which raised over $800,000 for the ostensible purpose of funding scholarships. Brown and her chief of staff are accused of using the money as a personal piggy bank, repeatedly redirecting it to Brown’s own bank accounts so she could pay off back taxes or pay for events honoring herself. Meanwhile, just $1,200 in scholarships were awarded.
Brown has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and also posted a statement online that framed her predicament as similar to the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and five Dallas policemen.
“Last week was very rough,” Brown said in her statement. “Two black men were needlessly gunned down by police; five Dallas police officers were slain by a demented man; and on Friday I had to appear in federal court.”