Dem Rep Charged After Allegedly Stealing $500K from Non-Profit for Mentally Ill
The first female Muslim representative in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has been charged with using more than $500,000 that was supposed to be spent on at-risk individuals to support a lavish lifestyle.
Democratic Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell of Philadelphia faces charges that include theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception, perjury, tampering with public records, and reporting by a candidate and political committees, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a release on his office’s website.
Johnson-Harrell was the operator of Motivations Education & Consultation Associates, which was founded to help individuals with mental illness, intellectual disabilities, and substance abuse disorders, serving individuals who were homeless, children and seniors.
She is accused of spending more than $500,000 of federal payments to the non-profit on vacations, designer clothing, luxury car payments, real estate purchases, past-due mortgage payments, and other personal expenses.
“Representative Johnson-Harrell continuously diverted Medicaid and social security disability funds from her charity to help Philadelphia’s most vulnerable communities for her own personal use. She spent almost $15,000 on clothing, including online shopping sprees at Ralph Lauren and fox fur coats. She traveled to Mexico, Orlando, Georgia and Maryland on lavish trips costing $16,000 of MECA funds,” Shapiro said.
“She spent $2,000 on overdue car payments on her Porsche. Another $4,000 on tuition for a relative. And, she spent almost $20,000 on overdue mortgage payments.”
Shapiro noted on Twitter that he has now filed corruption charges against 60 public officials.
60 public officials who have broken the trust given to them by the people of Pennsylvania.
This # is startling, frustrating and sad. PA deserves better. We deserve good, honest leadership.
My office will keep rooting out corruption—wherever we find it. https://t.co/OZJgGORNKe
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) December 5, 2019
“When corruption erodes the trust that is built between governmental entities and citizens, no one wins,” Shapiro said. “I’ve said time and time again as Attorney General that no one is above the law, no matter their position of power. And today is no different.”
Shapiro said Johnson-Harrell will plead guilty and will resign her seat effective Friday, Dec. 13. She released a statement that said things a little differently.
“I am saddened and dismayed by the nature of the allegations brought against me today,” she said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. “I vigorously dispute many of these allegations, which generally pertain to before I took office and I intend to accept responsibility for any actions that were inappropriate.”
Jessica Natali, Johnson-Harrell’s attorney, said it was “the early stage of this case” and would not “address its merits in the media.”
Shapiro said that as Johnson-Harrell spent money on luxuries, homes for people with medical problems that were operated by her charity had to close.
“While Johnson-Harrell was lining her pockets with MECA funds, MECA’s residents were living in squalor,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro accused the legislator of “significant and systematic corruption.”
“Defrauding a nonprofit or defrauding taxpayers and then systematically over many years lying to cover it up is unjust, it’s unfair and it is a crime,” Shapiro said.
In any other city, it’d be obscene for two lawmakers in the same seat to go down on corruption charges back to back.
Not in Philly.
Just a few years ago, it was JP Miranda’s ‘ghost employee’ scam followed by Leslie Acosta bilking a nonprofit. https://t.co/bgnjve8ljW
— Max M. Marin (@MaxMMarin) December 4, 2019
Johnson-Harrell is the second lawmaker from her district to face charges while in office. She was elected in March to fill the term of Democrat Vanessa Lowery Brown, who resigned after convicted of bribery and other offenses.
On the day she took office, Johnson-Harrell objected to that day’s session of the House being opened with a Christian prayer, according to Time.
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