Our U.S. Attorney, A. Lee Bentley, III of the Middle District of Florida, is still on the trail of corruption. Good work. Waiting for indictments of St. Johns County crooks. Venceremos! (We SHALL overcome).
Ex-lawmaker Taylor indicted on misuse of funds
By BRANDON LARRABEE
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, March 9, 2017......... For the second time in a year, a former Democratic state lawmaker is facing a federal indictment for allegedly using campaign funds to cover personal expenses.
United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley III announced Thursday that former Rep. Dwayne Taylor of Daytona Beach has been charged with nine counts of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to funnel money from his campaign to personal funds.
Taylor could face a maximum of 20 years in prison on each of the nine counts, though as a practical matter, first-time offenders virtually never receive the maximum sentence.
Prosecutors are also seeking $62,834, "representing the amount of proceeds obtained as a result of the offense," though the amounts withdrawn from the campaign in the nine counts listed in the indictment totaled $2,440.
According to the indictment, Taylor "would withdraw cash from the Dwayne L. Taylor Campaign Accounts at automated teller machines (ATMs) ... and, within minutes or hours, deposit the same or a similar amount of cash into one of TAYLOR's personal accounts."
Taylor used at least one check for similar reasons, the indictment said.
Taylor is accused of using the funds for personal expenses and then filing fake or inflated campaign expense reports to cover his alleged misuse of the money.
The indictment does not specify what the funds were spent on. Bentley is the U.S. attorney in the Middle District of Florida.
Under Florida law, campaign money may not be used to defray normal living expenses, other than for transportation, meals, and lodging that is campaign-related.
Taylor served as his campaign's treasurer in 2012 and 2014, when he was seeking re-election to the House, according to the indictment, which deals with funds from those two campaigns.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Taylor did not immediately respond to attempts to reach him for comment.
A Daytona Beach city commissioner before going to the Legislature, Taylor was first elected to the House in 2008. Taylor briefly considered opposing then-Rep. Mark Pafford for leader of the House Democrats after the party lost six seats in the 2014 elections, but pulled out of the race while saying he couldn't work with the leadership of the state party.
Taylor ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2016, losing the Democratic primary in District 6.
The charges are similar to those against former Rep. Reggie Fullwood, who pleaded guilty last year to one count of wire fraud and one count of failure to file an income tax return. Another 12 counts of the indictment, which was unsealed in April, will be dismissed as part of an agreement with prosecutors.
According to that indictment, from at least September 2010 to about December 2011, Fullwood electronically transferred money from the "Reggie Fullwood Campaign" bank account to an account of a Fullwood-owned entity called Rhino Harbor, LLC and used the funds for personal expenses.
To conceal the embezzlement of campaign funds, the indictment alleged that Fullwood submitted fraudulent campaign expenditure reports to the state.
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