Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, along with Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa has been arrested on charges of Grand Theft and Scheme to Defraud. The arrest came after a joint investigation was carried out by the Department of Financial Services Criminal Investigations Division and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Office of Executive Investigations into what they labeled as improper influence concerning the awarding of COVID grant funds.
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia went on to provide details on the arrest saying, “The voters put their trust in their public officials to do what is best for their community, not what is best for themselves. Jackie Espinosa abused that trust and cashed in at the taxpayers’ expense. It is called public service for a reason, not self-service. When I took office, I promised I would root out waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption, and today I am fulfilling that promise for the people of Kissimmee.”
“Public officials do not get to write the rules and then write themselves a check,” Attorney General James Uthmeier went on to say. “The mayor used her position to push a COVID relief grant program, then took $50,000 from it for her family’s businesses after being warned it was prohibited. Florida taxpayers funded that money to help small businesses recover, not to enrich the mayor who controlled it.”
According to a report from the office of the Chief Financial Officer of Florida, FDLE Commissioner Larry Keefe stated that Espinosa’s arrest shows why accountability is so critically important. Keefe then noted that the fraud was discovered through rigorous audits being carried out by the Department of Financial Services with efforts from the FDLE aiding in the investigation.
“We appreciate CFO Ingoglia’s commitment to safeguarding taxpayer dollars and Attorney General Uthmeier’s leadership in prioritizing public integrity across this state. Public office is a responsibility, not an opportunity for personal gain. When that trust is violated, FDLE will use every resource available to investigate it. Government must protect the people and their trust, and every public official in this state will be held to the law they swore to uphold,” Keefe continued.
The criminal investigation into Espinosa came after the conclusion of a routine audit that was conducted by the DFS concerning local governments’ use of grants and COVID-19 related money. The department discovered that Espinosa might have used her official position as the mayor of Kissimmee, Florida, to “improperly influence the award of funds distributed through the Business Boost 2.0 grant program.”
Seven local businesses that were located in properties owned and managed by members of Espinosa’s family received a combined total of $90,000 in grant funds. It was also discovered that $50,000 went to businesses owned by Espinosa, while another $40,000 went to tenants who were using Espinosa’s buildings.
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Jackie Espinosa now faces Grand Theft, which is a second degree felony, along with a charge of scheme to defraud, which is a first degree felony. A criminal referral in the case was made by DFS CID Director Luis Negrete. The referral was made to the FDLE Office of Executive Investigations. This is just one of many instances where fraud involving COVID funds has been discovered in the U.S. in recent years.
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