>> NEWSFOURJAX STARTS RIGHT NOW WITH THE BREAKING NEWS ALERT.
>> PLEADED GUILTY. FORMER
CONGRESSWOMAN CORRINE BROWN
INSIDE THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE
WHERE SHE IS CHANGING HER PLEA
IN A FEDERAL CORRUPTION CASE.
HEARING BEGAN ABOUT AN HOUR
AGO NEWS 4 JAX SPOKE WITH HER
BRIEFLY AS SHE MADE HER WAY
INTO THE COURTHOUSE AS YOUR
TECH SUPPORT OR ASHLEY HARDING
IS LIVE DOWNTOWN. ASHLEY.
>>BRUCE HAMILTON: LIKE
YESTERDAY AS BROWN DIDN’T HAVE
TOO MUCH TO SAY LEADING UP TO
THIS.
>> SHE CERTAINLY DIDN’T. AND
SHE OFFERED NO HINTS AS TO
WHAT SHE WAS GOING TO BE
CHANGING HER PLEA TO. BUT YOU
SEE, I’M HERE WITH NEWS, 4 JAX
REPORTER JIM PIGGOTT. YOU WERE
JUST INSIDE. YOU HAVE THE
LATEST BREAKING INFORMATION.
TELL US NOW. THAT’S RIGHT. SHE
DID PLEAD GUILTY TO TAX FRAUD.
BASICALLY FOR ONE COUNT OF TAX
FRAUD.
>> SHE SAID THAT SHE LIED TO
THE IRS ABOUT DEDUCTIONS EVER
MADE AND SHE WILL HAVE TO
SERVE NO TIME BECAUSE OF THE
PLEA DEAL. THAT WAS ON THAT
BECAUSE OF THE TIME SHE
ALREADY SERVED. BUT SHE WILL
HAVE TO MAKE RESTITUTION OF
$62,650 IS WHAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN TO THE IRS. THEY
BASICALLY ARE SAYING IN COURT
THEY WENT THROUGH WHAT HAD
HAPPENED WHERE SHE HAD WIDE
ABOUT DONATIONS MADE TO EDWARD
WATERS COLLEGE TO VARIOUS
ORGANIZATIONS AND TO ONE DOOR
FOR EDUCATION. THAT WAS THE
CHARITY THAT THERE WAS THEY
SAID THAT THERE WERE SOME
BOGUS SCAM GOING ON WITH THAT.
SO CORINNE BROWN DID PLEAD
GUILTY AND THAT WAS EXPECTED
ON THAT. AND SHE WILL NOT BE
SERVING ANY MORE TIME BECAUSE
OF THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT SHE
ALREADY SHORT.
>> SENTENCING IS GOING ON
RIGHT NOW. AND THAT’S WHAT’S
HAPPENING THERE. WHAT WE WILL
LEARN MAYBE ABOUT PROBATION,
THAT TYPE OF WHAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN. BUT THAT’S GOING ON
RIGHT NOW. SHE ANSWERED THE
QUESTIONS TO THE SHE WAS
MATTER OF FACT, AS A YES, I
DID THIS AND THEY WOULD THEY
WOULD LAY OUT SOMETHING THAT
YOU GO. YES, I DID. THIS AND
SHE AGREED TO THAT. YOU KNOW
WHAT’S INTERESTING BECAUSE
WE’D ALWAYS HEARD FROM CORINNE
BROWN BEFORE THAT SHE WAS NOT
GOING TO PLEAD GUILTY. SHE
REALLY WANTED TO CLEAR HER
NAME. BUT THIS THERE WERE 18
COUNTS THAT SHE WAS FOUND
GUILTY ON BEFORE THIS DROPPED
TO ONE COUNT RIGHT NOW OF A
TAX EVASION CHARGE. THE OTHER
COUNTS WERE DISMISSED. THERE
WILL NOT BE A RETRIAL.
>> THIS IS GOING TO PUT AN END
TO ALL OF THEM TO SAY SHE HAS
NOT SAID MUCH OF ANYTHING. YOU
CALLED HER YESTERDAY. WE DID
NOT HEAR FROM HER. WE TALK TO
HER COMING IN. SHE AGAIN DID
NOT OFFER ANY HINTS. BUT
AGAIN, WE DID HEAR FROM HER
VERY BRIEFLY AND QUIETLY.
LET’S GO AHEAD AND LISTEN TO
THAT SOUND BITE.
>> IT’S GREAT TO SEE YOU. WHAT
YOU IS GOOD AND THERE. CAN YOU
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
YOUR WE’RE GOING TO BE UP
THERE. I HAVE GIVE UP THEIR
STAFF. YOU YOU FEEL CONFIDENT
THAT EVERYTHING GOING TO TURN
WANT TO TELL PEOPLE.
>> AND WE ALSO HAD VIDEO FROM
HER ONCE SHE WAS ACTUALLY WAS
IN ASIDE THE COURTHOUSE THIS
MORNING JUST OVER AN HOUR AGO,
LOOKING BACK AT WHERE WE ALL
STARTED HERE. YOU’LL REMEMBER
IN 2017, A JURY CONVICTED
BROWN OF USING OF THE ONE DOOR
FOR EDUCATION CHARITY TO FUND
A LAVISH LIFESTYLE. AND SHE
WAS, AGAIN, AS JIM SAID,
SENTENCED TO 5 YEARS IN
FEDERAL PRISON. BUT SHE WAS
RELEASED AFTER SERVING JUST
ABOUT 3 YEARS BECAUSE OF
COVID-19 CONCERNS INTO THE
PRISON. BUT THE CONVICTION WAS
THE CONVICTION WAS THROWN OUT
BY AN APPELLATE COURT AGAIN
BECAUSE OF SEVERAL A CONCERN
TO HAD COME UP ABOUT THAT ONE
JUROR. BUT I DO WANT TO ASK
YOU, JIM.
>> WHAT ABOUT HER PENSION? AND
THAT HAS COME UP FROM PEOPLE
IN THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. SHE
IS. SHE DID RECEIVE PENSION
ALL OF THIS TIME. IT’S
EXPECTED SHE’S GOING TO
CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THAT
GOVERNMENT PENSION AND THIS
CASE. YOU KNOW WHAT WE’RE
GOING TO FIND OUT NOW IS
WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN NOW
WITH THE SENTENCING. BUT IT’S
NOT EXPECTED THAT WAS GOING TO
ANYTHING THAT WE’RE NOT REALLY
EXPECTING TO SEE HAPPEN. WE’RE
GOING TO TALK TO CORY WHEN SHE
COMES OUT AGAIN. SHE SAID SHE
WOULD TALK TO US. SHE SAID SHE
WANTED TO AND THERE ARE MANY
QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE. I
THINK FOR HER SENSE WHY SHE
CHANGED HER PLEA WHEN SHE WAS
SO ADAMANT THAT SHE WASN’T
GOING TO DO IT AND SHE ADMIT
TO GUILT, SHE TO LYING TO THE
IRS AND NOT PAYING HER TAXES.
SO SHE’S GUILTY OF THAT.
>> AND AS YOU IN AND YOU, AS
YOU SAID, SHE’S NEVER ADMITTED
TO ANYTHING UNTIL TONIGHT. SO
WE ARE GOING TO HEAR FROM HER.
SHE SAID THAT EVERYTHING WILL
COME OUT ONCE THIS ALL WRAPS
UP. WE ARE STANDING BY FOR
THAT WILL KEEP EVERYONE
UPDATED LIVE AT THE FEDERAL