JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two months after a federal jury found him guilty of 33 counts, including conspiracy, fraud and money laundering, former Jacksonville City Council member Reggie Brown asked for a new defense attorney, ahead of his sentencing.
Last year, Reggie Brown and Katrina Brown, who are not related, were indicted on charges stemming from a federally-backed loan and a city grant utilized by a barbecue sauce business owned by Katrina Brown’s family. A jury found that Katrina Brown and Reggie Brown both used some of the money for personal use. In October, Katrina Brown was convicted on all 37 counts she faced, and Reggie Brown was convicted on 33 of the 34 counts against him.
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Since the court found Reggie Brown was not able to afford his own lawyer, attorney Thomas Bell was appointed to represent him. Bell represented Reggie Brown through the pretrial process, as well as through the trial.
In a motion filed Wednesday, Bell cites the Sixth Amendment guarantee of a choice of counsel, adding that it “requires effective assistance of counsel, which includes conflict-free counsel.” According to the motion, Brown believes a conflict exists and has therefore requested a new attorney.
The motion asked the court to schedule a hearing to consider the reasons for that request. That hearing has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9.
Following their convictions, both Reggie Brown and Katrina Brown asked the court for a judgment of acquittal or a new trial. Those requests were denied. Katrina Brown filed those motions herself, having chosen this summer to represent herself at trial. Brown asked to waive representation by her two court-appointed attorneys, who had been appointed after Brown parted ways with her first court-appointed attorney in January over “irreconcilable differences.”
If the Browns choose to pursue further appeals of their convictions, that would be done through the 11th Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals, which is based in Atlanta.
Currently, the former council members are scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 27.