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.”
Senator John Kennedy introduces America to ‘Margaret,’ his elliptical trainer named after Thatcher
Waymo driverless cars overrun Atlanta neighborhood, circling cul-de-sacs and alarming families with kids
Lithuania and Poland forecast ‘military aid’ to help open Strait of Hormuz amid denials of US troop reductions in region
From Revival to Reformation: Why I’m Running for Governor of California
Here’s Where the Redistricting Wars Stand as the 2026 Midterms Approach
Trump Urged to Address Plight of Persecuted Chinese Minorities During Beijing Visit
In the Battle for School Choice, Families Get Stuck in the Middle
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: Detransitioner drama, sex toy giveaways, shocking bathroom find
Colorado governor commutes Tina Peters’ sentence as Trump posts ‘FREE TINA!’
Supreme Court deals blow to Virginia Democrats in fight over state court ruling
Navy veteran Rocky Rochford seeks to turn Tampa Bay red, unseat 20-year House incumbent
Trump Reveals Waterfront Site for Long-Planned National Garden of American Heroes
Minnesota Medicaid operator’s bankruptcy-to-riches rise crashes into fraud probe
Trump hits dramatic milestone in massive departure from Biden border plan: ‘What a difference’
Alex Murdaugh retrial could bring potential death penalty as AG says ‘all our legal options are on the table’
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.
