One of the most vile things to come out of the state of Florida in recent years has been the Parental Rights in Education Act, a.k.a. “Don’t Say Gay.” Signed into law in March, the legislation—which prohibits classroom discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in any way in kindergarten through third grade—was introduced by Florida state representative Joe Harding in January 2022. But Harding didn’t just want to ban talk of sexual orientation and gender identity—he also wanted to require teachers to out students to their parents. At this time, you might be asking yourself, “What kind of evil person would come up with such a thing?” And the answer is: the same kind of person who would allegedly also steal COVID relief funds!
On Wednesday, a federal grand jury charged Harding—whose amendment re: outing kids was pulled before “Don’t Say Gay” became law—with fraudulently obtaining and attempting to obtain more than $150,000 in federal pandemic relief funds. According to the Justice Department, the lawmaker submitted fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration using the names of businesses that had no employees or revenue in the 12 months leading up to the start of the pandemic. In the case “Vak Shack,” Harding allegedly lied and said the company had four employees and made approximately $420,000 during that period; when applying for funds for “Harding Farms,” he falsely claimed the dormant business had two employees and made $392,000 between January 2019 and January 2020. As part of the scheme, the state representative allegedly submitted a “fraudulently created bank statement.”
Prosecutors say that in January and February 2021, Harding made illegal bank transfers in the amounts of $30,000 and $15,000, respectively. In total, he was charged with six counts of money laundering, wire fraud, and making false statements, and faces up to 35 years in prison. A trial has been set for January 11, 2023.
Harding, who has pleaded not guilty, said in a statement released on Wednesday: “I want the public and my constituents to know that I fully repaid the loan and cooperated with investigators as requested.” He did not appear to address the claim that the loans in question were fraudulently obtained. In a separate statement, Florida House Speaker Paul Renner said Harding had been temporarily removed from his committee assignments, adding: “Representative Harding is presumed innocent and will have the opportunity to plead his case before a court.”
Meanwhile, “Don’t Say Gay“ continues to terrorize the people of Florida.
