JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was a year of investigation and prosecution for a handful of federal state and local elected officials, and their cases will continue into 2017.
While the accusations against U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, state Rep. Reggie Fullwood and Jacksonville City Councilwoman Katrina Brown are all different, they all involved handling money.
A few days into 2016, 12-term congresswoman Brown was served a federal subpoena that began a year that would see the indictment of Brown and her losing a re-election bid.
Brown and her inner circle were questioned by a grand jury about her involvement in a questionable charity, One Door for Education. Federal prosecutors said the pair used $800,000 meant for the charity as a personal slush fund.
By July, Brown and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, were arrested on 24 combined felony counts involving money laundering, mail fraud and tax charges. In the Democratic primary the next month, Brown lost her first election in nearly 30 years.
Brown maintains her innocence as she awaits trial. A conviction could bring more than 350 years in prison.
Fullwood also sang a tune of innocence for months after he was indicted for wire fraud in April. He was accused of using $65,000 in campaign contributions on liquor, jewelry, groceries, gas and flowers. In September, he agreed to plead guilty to two of 12 counts. He will be sentenced next February.
His felony conviction made him ineligible to be re-elected.
Five days before Christmas, agents from the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service, Housing and Urban Development and other federal agencies raided the Westside barbecue restaurant of Jerome Brown, whose daughter, Councilwoman Katrina Brown, is part of the family-run business. Katrina Brown's family is not related to Corrine Brown.
The I-TEAM has reported on that the business is behind on repaying a grant tied to local and federal dollars, as well as property taxes, and did not create the jobs promised in the grant proposal. That grant must now be repaid.
There's no word yet on whether charges will be filed, but News4Jax did learn that Brown and her family could be sued if the grant money isn't repaid.
A local attorney not affiliated with the case said the fact that federal investigators spent hours at the business last week should be cause for concern.
"If the FBI came and said we are entering your home or your business, any normal rational person would be alarmed and concerned," Alan Ceballis said.
Katrina Brown has not responded to a request for comment. The City Council president said she is looking into the matter.