Gillum, once mayor of Tallahassee, is accused of acting in concert with associate Sharon Janet Lettman-Hicks to solicit funds using false representations and promises.
“The indictment further alleges the defendants used third parties to divert a portion of those funds to a company owned by Lettman-Hicks, who then fraudulently provided the funds, disguised as payroll payments, to Gillum for his personal use,” a Justice Department press release said.
Gillum is also charged with making a false statement to the FBI. He denied wrongdoing and said the case was political.
Gillum ran for governor of Florida with the Democratic nomination in 2018, nearly defeating Ron Desantis.
Since then, he has been no stranger to trouble.
In 2019, state officials brought an ethics complaint against Gillum after finding probable cause that he committed ethics violations involving gifts from lobbyists in 2016.
In 2020, Gillum entered rehab; police found him unresponsive in a Miami Beach hotel room with two other men, where officers found what they believed to be crystal methamphetamine.
Gillum denied using drugs but did admit to struggling with alcohol.
