After being accused of COVID loan fraud, Carolina Amesty’s lawyer says she didn’t hurt the government

Former Republican Rep. Carolina Amesty fully repaid five of her government loans and has not missed any payments on other loans that she’s accused of fraudulently obtaining, her defense lawyer said, as he tried to attack the federal government’s case in a new court filing.

“Fatal to the government’s flawed prosecution is the undeniable fact that the government has not lost a cent, and the collateral on each loan exceeds the amount of the loan. Thus, there has been no loss to the government,” her defense attorney, Brad Bondi, said in a filing. 

Amesty is facing two counts of theft of government property after being accused of illegally obtaining $122,000 in pandemic relief funds meant to help small businesses through her foundation and a car dealership. The federal complaint said she used the money to pay her credit cards, buy furniture and spend on other businesses that she and her family ran.

Bondi, the brother of U.S. Attorney General  Pam Bondi, wrote that “the charges are baseless and the case should be dismissed.”

“The Economic Injury Disaster Loans in question — primarily to Christian organizations — were obtained appropriately in good faith and with no misrepresentations. Indeed, underscoring the utter lack of any criminal intent, Ms. Amesty spent over two hours on the phone with the Small Business Administration to ensure complete compliance with the law. These are not the actions of a criminal but a person who tried to — and did — get it right,” Brad Bondi wrote in the filing.

“While scores of other cases with far worse allegations have been handled with declined prosecutions or civil resolutions, this prosecution, which was initiated days before the inauguration, is the quintessential example of the last Department of Justice’s weaponization to settle political scores.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida declined to comment Wednesday.

Federal prosecutors are seeking more time to obtain an indictment, saying Amesty’s defense provided “dozens of pages of summaries and letters, multiple in-person meetings and phone calls, and over 500 pages of documents,” according to a court filing earlier this month. 

“The United States has undertaken a diligent and expeditious review of these recent defense disclosures but needs additional time to carry out its obligations to fully review and consider these materials in its decision on how to proceed,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the filing. “Additionally, the United States’ investigation remains ongoing, due in part to a pending sealed motion related to grand jury proceedings.”

Brad Bondi’s court filing joins the federal government in asking for another delay in the case.

The next court hearing is set for July 21.

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