A Muslim Pennsylvania state lawmaker has been charged for allegedly stealing half a million dollars from a charity she founded.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a statement Thursday that Rep. Movita Johnson-Harrell (D) had been charged with numerous charges of theft, perjury, and tampering.
Johnson-Harrell had previously made headlines for being offended by a Christian prayer offered before a session of the Pennsylvania Legislature in March.
Shapiro said that she had stolen money from Motivations Education & Consultation Associates, or MECA, a charity meant to collect donations to help the homeless, seniors and children.
He alleged that she spent the money on “vacations, designer clothing, luxury car payments, real estate purchases, past-due mortgage payments, and other personal expenses.”
Blue States with Powerful Teachers’ Unions Have Far Worse Reading Scores for Students Than Red States with Weak Unions
Republicans fear they have little to offer voters as Congress leaves town
China Throws Its Weight Around in America’s Backyard Over Taiwan Backing
Who is Bert Mizusawa The retired Major General challenging Sen. Mark Warner
A swath of past anti-Trump characters have lost Democratic primary bids
Who is Dario Amodei, the Anthropic CEO pushing independent AI oversight?
Dem’s data center attack in critical Senate race hits snag when money trail surfaces: ‘Jekyll-and-Hyde’
High School Football Team Shines ‘the Light of Jesus’ by Giving Every Opponent a Bible After Games
Which ‘Fake News’ Outlet Will Trump Ban from the White House Next? He Just Dropped Some Major Hints, and It’s Making Them Squirm
Watch: MLB Player Knocked Out Cold in ‘Terrifying Moment’ – Then Medics Manage to Make Things Worse
Why the House let out early is a matter of debate after Johnson says chamber has ‘done its work’
DOJ Declares it Will No Longer Enforce Two Gun-Control Statutes That Are ‘Inconsistent with the Second Amendment’
Vance calls midterms a referendum on ‘common sense versus pure unadulterated crazy’
Would-Be Robber Finds Out the Hard Way That He Picked the Wrong Victim: Two Shots Later He Was in the ER
Warren Buffett Steps Down as Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, Names His Replacement: ‘Father Time Always Wins’
Shapiro said in the statement that she had turned herself in, had confessed to the crimes, and had agreed to leave the Pennsylvania Legislature.
“Her theft knew no bounds,” he said.
Later, in a statement released through her lawyers to the Associated Press, she said she disputed some the charges.
“I am saddened and dismayed by the nature of the allegations brought against me today,” Johnson-Harrell said.
“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,” she added.
Johnson-Harrell had founded MECA in 2006.
She had been the first Muslim representative elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature.
