The Republican state lawmaker who introduced legislation in Florida dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill will face trial early next year on fraud charges. A federal grand jury indicted him on six counts of money laundering and wire fraud charges Wednesday, prosecutors said. The indictment, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, alleges Rep. Joe Harding, from north Florida, “knowingly” devised a scheme to claim COVID-related loans by claiming two of his businesses were active between between December 1, 2020, and March 1, 2021. The federal indictment alleges Harding committed two acts of wire fraud by “participating in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) and for obtaining coronavirus-related small business loans by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses,” adding that Harding faked loan applications and made “false representations” when it came to documentation, including faking bank statements. “Harding fraudulently obtained and attempted to obtain more than $150,000 in funds from the SBA to which he was not entitled,” prosecutors said. His trial is scheduled for Jan. 11. Harding faces a maximum term of 20 years over the wire fraud charges, 10 years for money laundering, and 5 years for making false statements.
