A former Florida state representative known for sponsoring legislation prohibiting classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state’s primary schools pleaded guilty Tuesday to fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of dollars from a federal Covid relief program.
At a hearing in U.S. District Court for Northern Florida, Republican Joseph Harding entered a guilty plea to a single count each of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements stemming from a six-count indictment a federal grand jury returned in December.
The guilty plea, before Judge Allen Winsor, was a reversal of an earlier not guilty plea from Harding, who resigned from his House seat after he was indicted.
According to a new court filing, Harding, 35, acknowledged making materially false statements when he submitted an application for an economic injury disaster loan in December 2020 for a company that had no business activity and was dormant at the time.
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