This article is thanks to BonLovesFreedom!
When handed the keys to the treasury, some people build shelters while others construct palaces. During a time when Americans struggled to keep their businesses afloat and food on their tables, government relief programs were designed to be a lifeline, not a party fund. The Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program were created to help small businesses weather the unprecedented economic storm brought by the pandemic.
Sadly, these well-intentioned programs became targets for exploitation, with billions in taxpayer dollars flowing into undeserving hands. Fraudulent applications and misused funds have become all too common as federal investigators continue uncovering cases years after the money was distributed.
Sometimes, the fraud was subtle and sophisticated. Other times, it was as brazen as a horse-drawn carriage parading down the street.
Charlotte, North Carolina City Councilwoman Tiawana Brown, a Democrat elected in 2023, was indicted last week on federal charges for allegedly obtaining over $124,000 in fraudulent COVID relief funds. According to federal prosecutors, Brown spent approximately $15,000 of these taxpayer dollars on a lavish personal birthday celebration in 2021, complete with a horse-drawn carriage, balloon arch, wall of roses, and even a rented throne.
From ‘Daily Caller’:
“Brown allegedly used her nonprofit’s bank account, which had PPP loan funds, according to documents. Beauty After The Bars is focused on prison reform, according to its website. The 2021 party allegedly featured extravagant trappings, including a horse-drawn carriage, a balloon arch, a wall of roses and a rented throne, according to the indictment.”
The indictment alleges that Brown, 53, along with her two daughters Tijema Brown, 30, and Antionette Rouse, 33, conspired to defraud the Small Business Administration through a systematic scheme. Federal prosecutors claim the trio submitted at least 15 fraudulent loan applications containing false information about income, employees, and business activities.
This isn’t Brown’s first brush with the law. According to court records, she previously served four years in federal prison for fraud-related charges following a 1993 indictment. Her nonprofit, Beauty After The Bars, focuses on prison reform, and Brown has marketed herself as the first formerly incarcerated person elected to Charlotte’s City Council.
When confronted about the allegations, Brown’s response was telling. “If I paid it back… then why are we here,” she told reporters at a press conference, refusing to directly answer questions about using relief funds for her birthday celebration. Despite the serious federal indictment, Brown has stated she will not resign from her position on the City Council.
If convicted, Brown and her daughters face up to 20 years in prison for each charge of wire fraud conspiracy and wire fraud. In a statement, Brown characterized the indictment as a “deliberate effort to interfere with her re-election and silence her voice,” emphasizing that the alleged fraud occurred before she took office.
Let’s be honest – this case exemplifies a troubling pattern we’ve seen time and again. While hardworking Americans were losing their livelihoods during the pandemic, some politically connected Democrats viewed relief programs as personal slush funds. The details of this case are particularly galling – a rented throne? A horse-drawn carriage? This wasn’t survival; this was royal extravagance funded by hardworking taxpayers.
What makes this situation even more infuriating is Brown’s apparent belief that simply paying the money back absolves her of wrongdoing. That’s like saying a bank robber should face no consequences if they return the money after being caught. The alleged fraud required systematic deception through multiple falsified applications. This wasn’t a bookkeeping error; it appears to be calculated fraud.
And have you noticed how the Democratic Party consistently portrays itself as the champion of working Americans, yet we repeatedly see its members treating public funds as personal property? How many more elected Democrats will face indictments before party leadership acknowledges the problem? I’m not holding my breath.
Perhaps most disturbing is the shameless irony – a prison reform advocate with a previous fraud conviction allegedly defrauding taxpayers again, then playing the victim when caught. This isn’t accountability; it’s entitlement of the highest order.
American taxpayers deserve better than elected officials who view pandemic relief as their personal party fund. The next time you hear about the government needing more of your hard-earned money, remember the image of a Democratic councilwoman riding in a horse-drawn carriage funded by COVID relief dollars while sitting on her rented throne. If that doesn’t make your blood boil, I don’t know what will.
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