OSCEOLA COUNTY, Florida. —
Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa was arrested Wednesday morning, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Espinosa faces charges of grand theft and organized scheme to defraud.
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Uthmeier announced the arrest in a social media post.
According to Osceola County Jail records, Espinosa was taken into custody and is currently being held without bond on both charges.
A news conference is planned for 2 p.m. at the attorney general’s office in Orlando, where Uthmeier, Ingoglia and Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Larry Keefe are expected to provide additional information.
Officials provide details at press conference
“If you abuse your office, if you abuse the public’s trust in your family members, we will find you and hold you accountable,” Uthmeier said.
He said Espinosa voted for a COVID grant program without making his personal interests transparent, creating a conflict of interest.
“The mayor used her position to promote a COVID relief grant program, then withdrew $50,000 from it for her family’s businesses after being warned it was prohibited,” he said. “Florida taxpayers funded this money to help small businesses recover, not to enrich the mayor who controlled them.”
The Business Boost 2.0 Grant Program is a federally funded COVID-19 relief initiative by the City of Kissimmee that offers non-repayable grants of $5,000 to $20,000 for small businesses.
“There is no tolerance when it comes to public corruption,” Uthmeier said.
Ingoglia said his office has conducted audits of cities’ COVID-19 grant programs, and one of those cities included Kissimmee.
He said Espinosa used her position to receive $50,000 in grants from businesses owned by her and her family. Ingoglia said there was also more money received indirectly.
Ingoglia said Espinosa could face up to 30 years in prison based on the charges against him.
“Corruption has no place in the state of Florida,” Ingoglia added.
Statement from Espinosa’s lawyer
“My office represents Mayor Espinosa and what I can tell you at this point is that Mayor Espinosa maintains his innocence. This case involves a publicly approved grant program administered by city staff, not a secret scheme to steal taxpayer dollars.
The prosecution must establish that the mayor acted with criminal intent. We firmly maintain that she did not do so. There is a fundamental difference between an alleged ethics violation and a criminal offense. The State cannot transform one into the other without proving beyond a reasonable doubt all the elements constituting a crime.
We intend to vigorously contest these allegations in court. Mayor Espinosa deserves the presumption of innocence, not a presumption of guilt because she was arrested.”
Video: law enforcement in the neighborhood where Espinosa was arrested
>> This is a developing story.
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