Gillum and Letman-Hicks face 21 charges, according to the news release. Guillaume, a former CNN political commentator, is scheduled for a first appearance at 2 p.m. ET Wednesday in the United States court in Tallahassee, where he resides.
In a statement issued before the government announced the charges, Gillum pleaded not guilty and said the case against him was political.
“I have spent the last 20 years of my life in public service and I continue to fight for the people,” Gillum said in a statement. “Every campaign I have conducted has been conducted with integrity. Make no mistake that this case is not legal, it is political. Throughout my career I have always defended the people of Florida and told the truth to the authorities.”
The release also included a joint statement by Marc Elias, a prominent election lawyer, and David Oscar Markus, a Miami criminal defense lawyer, who said: “The government made a mistake today.”
The allegations cover a time when Gillum was running for governor of Florida. He eventually became the party’s candidate in August 2018, but lost to Republican Ron DeSadis in November by less than 33,000 votes.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
