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.”
US Chamber of Commerce accused of leading ‘woke corporate America’ as Trump dismantles DEI agenda
Congressional Democrats widen 2026 battlefield, zero in on new House Republican targets
Charlie Kirk’s New Book Rockets to Top of Bestseller List on Day 1 – Publisher Scrambles to Print More Copies
Deep Dive: No, the Jews Do Not Teach Jesus Is Being Boiled in Filth as a Punishment
Minnesota college administrator accused of impeding ICE arrest to protect student sexual predator
Democrats set expanded targets after surprise victories in Florida and Georgia
Fugitive repeat offender keeps walking free as courts let him loose to hurt people, experts warn
Pro-Trump clerk convicted in 2020 election scheme threatened, attacked in prison, lawyer says
Thomas Massie introduces bill to pull US out of NATO: ‘America should not be the world’s security blanket’
Florida’s CAIR threatens lawsuit against DeSantis after he labels group a ‘foreign terrorist’ organization
Top US political figures lend legitimacy to Qatari forum allied with array of anti-American groups
3 people arrested after 7 Providence College students overdose at off-campus party
Trump says New York Times questioning his stamina could be ‘treasonous’
Trump mocks Ilhan Omar’s ‘turban’ in latest anti-Somali tirade
Trump compares real wages under his admin versus Biden’s during speech calling out Dem affordability ‘hoax’
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.
