"Don't Say Gay" protests

PRISON, honey!

The ex-Florida lawmaker behind the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law was sentenced to federal prison Thursday for stealing COVID relief funds.

Former Rep. Joe Harding, a Republican from north central Florida, plead guilty in March to one count each of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements as part of a scheme to fraudulently collect $150,000 in COVID relief for small businesses.

He’ll spend four months behind bars.

“The theft of any amount of taxpayer funds is inexcusable,” said Jason Coody, the United States attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “However, the defendant’s deceptive acts of diverting emergency financial assistance from small businesses during the pandemic is simply beyond the pale.”

“Today’s sentence both punishes the defendant’s criminal conduct and should serve as a significant deterrent to others who would selfishly steal from their fellow citizens to unlawfully enrich themselves.”

This guy just looks slimy, doesn’t he?

Harding was first elected to the state House in 2020, meaning stealing money from his constituents during a global pandemic was one of his first acts as an elected official. What a public servant!

Authorities accused him of falsifying bank statements from two defunct businesses to receive loans from the Small Business Association. He told SBA officials one of his companies had four employees and $420,874 in revenue, while the other had two employees and $392,000 in revenue.

While Harding repaid the loan and confessed to what he did, prosecutors argued jail time was still necessary for such a grave betrayal of public trust.

In total, the SBA estimates it dispersed over $200 billion in potentially fraudulent COVID loans, which means Harding was part of one of the most vile and widespread financial scams in U.S. history.

With that in mind, he’s lucky he only received a four-month sentence. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor, who was appointed by Donald Trump, presided over the case.

Speaking of “vile,” Harding’s signature legislative achievement was sponsoring Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which bars classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity. Earlier this year, Ron DeSantis expanded the law to cover all grade levels.

The hateful edict generated widespread backlash, including from Disney, which publicly condemned the bill. DeSantis responded by appointing cronies to the governing body that controls Disney. They proceeded to strip the company of its special tax privileges.

Disney, Florida’s largest tourism attraction and private employer, sued the DeSantis Administration for violating its free speech rights. The multi-million legal battle is still ongoing.

But wait: Harding wanted to make “Don’t Say Gay” even more homophobic. The original bill contained a provision that would’ve required teachers to out students to their parents.

That was even a step too far for Florida Republicans, who pulled the unconscionable amendment before passing the bill.

When addressing the court Thursday, Harding said he expresses “remorse” for his criminal actions. There’s no word on whether he expresses regret for trying to expunge LGBTQ+ people from public education, however.

We’re not holding our breath.

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